PAS has urged Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim to control and stop DAP’s “toxic” narratives after party leaders brought up reinstating the local council election and the possibility of a non-Malay becoming prime minister.
PAS secretary-general Takiyuddin Hassan said the Islamist party took the latest developments in the political narrative seriously, especially those involving DAP veteran Lim Kit Siang and Federal Territories DAP chief Tan Kok Wai.
“Unlike Lim, who said that his speech was a statement of facts and not reality, Tan did not put a caveat to his suggestion even though Local Government Development Minister Nga Kor Ming, when answering a question in Parliament early this year, stressed that the local government election is not the government’s priority now.
“As a former member of the government in the previous Pakatan Harapan administration, Tan should be more alert and sensitive towards the current government’s stance and policies, not the other way around,” Takiyuddin said in a statement today.
“Unless the statement is also DAP’s farce and Nga also plays an important role in it,” he added.
Lim recently came under fire from pro-Malay groups and politicians after raising the possibility of a non-Malay being appointed prime minister.
Police have summoned him over the matter.
On Sunday, Tan suggested restoring the local council election starting with Kuala Lumpur, to give locals a democratic say in how the capital city is run.
However, Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Federal Territories) Dr Zaliha Mustafa yesterday responded by pointing out there are more basic matters to prioritise including governance of strata properties.
DAP contradicting its own dream?
While the DAP duo used grandiose words and ideas about a great world-class country filled with multiculturalism, democracy and administrative efficiency, Takiyuddin opined that it appears Tan’s proposal had contradicted Lim’s rejection of single-ethnic politics.
This contradiction is at the core of the dream of a non-Malay prime minister, the Kota Bharu MP said.
“With DAP’s almost absolute dominance of the parliamentary seats in Kuala Lumpur, won’t the local government election also only reveal a single ethnic political image, in terms of the representatives who will be elected later on?
"PAS believes that both Tan and Lim’s statements are clearly motivated by the strengthening of DAP's position and dominance over the country's direction and journey by ignoring the cores, which have been binding all parties to a more sane, moderate and reasonable political agenda and culture,” Takiyuddin claimed.
He alleged that Tan and Lim’s statements confirmed the concerns of many quarters, especially the Malays, about DAP’s true intentions.
“Whether it is honest in upholding national interests and priorities or just prioritising its ideological interests and parochialism,” he added.
Takiyuddin emphasised that the decision to abolish nationwide local government over 50 years ago, as enshrined in the Local Government Act 1976, was made to prevent dominance by one ethnic group and potential racial tension and disharmony in society.
The last time Malaysia held a local council election was in 1963. The next round, which was supposed to be held the following year, was suspended.
The temporary suspension became permanent in 1976 when Parliament passed the Local Government Act resulting in the abolishment of the local government election altogether and only provided for the appointment of local councillors. - Mkini
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