Amanah must also rise up when non-Muslims threatened, says Mat Sabu

 

Amanah president Mohamad Sabu says the party must not adopt PAS’s methods and instead uphold the approach of extending mercy to all.

KLANG: Amanah president Mohamad Sabu says the party must make it a point to defend all oppressed groups, regardless of their religious background.

He cited the example of the atrocities faced by the Palestinians in the war in Gaza at the moment.

“Suppose one day, non-Muslims face oppression. Amanah must (also) stand up for the non-Muslim groups in such situations,” he said in his winding-up speech at Amanah’s national convention here today.

Mohamad, better known as Mat Sabu, said this is important as Amanah must reflect the concept of “mercy to all creations” (rahmatan lil alamin) if it wishes to attract more non-Muslims to join the party.

“We want more non-Muslims to join our cause because Islam calls for mercy to all, not just for Malays, Indians or Chinese, but for everyone.

“In our battle with PAS, we must not adopt their methods. We need to uphold our approach of extending mercy to all,” he said.

Mohamad said the narrative that Islam is under threat was strong enough to influence voters to the extent that some of the prominent figures in Pakatan Harapan (PH) lost to the opposition in the previous general election.

“(Amanah vice-president) Mahfuz Omar was defeated by over 31,000 votes (in Pokok Sena).

“The ‘Princess of Reformasi’ lost in Permatang Pauh, the birthplace of the movement,” he said, referring to Nurul Izzah Anwar.

Nonetheless, he said the party has the potential to gain several seats in Kelantan, Kedah, Terengganu and Perlis in the 16th general election (GE16), through consistent collaboration and support.

“If there is strong cooperation within the government, Amanah may be able to win six or seven seats in Kelantan and can also triumph in Terengganu and Kedah.

“For Amanah to win in Kelantan on its own is just wishful thinking, but the future is unpredictable.

“I am confident that if we negotiate well and proceed effectively, the unity government can regain power (in the aforementioned states) in GE16,” he added.

Separately, Mohamad said more detailed discussions were needed on the call for the return of local council elections to ensure a “win-win situation” for all parties.

A DAP leader, Tan Kok Wai, recently urged Putrajaya to consider local government elections in the capital city first to bolster democracy, a proposal that Umno Youth chief Dr Akmal Saleh said was “insensitive and provocative”. - FMT