Parti Wawasan Negara has again downplayed controversial remarks by its fellow Perikatan Nasional component member PAS, whose leaders have been accused of inciting racial and religious tensions in the lead-up to the Negeri Sembilan polls.
While asserting that a line should be drawn against comments that cross into “hate speech” territory, Wawasan Negara secretary-general Saifuddin Abdullah deemed the Islamist party’s approach as a “matter of politics” where differing parties convey their messages in varying ways.
“As much as possible, we want to avoid statements that can turn hearts (against a party) and offend,” Saifuddin said on an episode of KiniTV’s “Explain Sikit” podcast, which aired this morning.
“Each party has their own ‘style’ - sometimes during election period, temperatures will run hotter, (but) after that they will go back to normal.
“To me, as long as they don’t reach the limit of hate speech - I’m not saying everything is right, but don’t let it become hate speech,” the Indera Mahkota MP added.
Saifuddin, a former Bersatu supreme council member, also asserted that it is difficult to determine what should be constituted as “hate speech” as certain terms might be uttered without intention to offend, but could inadvertently result in hurt feelings.
“If you call someone ‘A,’ I might not like it because it’s not my style to call them ‘A,’ but I cannot say that you are spreading hate speech because defining it is not easy, but for the person listening, they will feel offended,” he explained.
Context matters
When asked if he agrees that the term “pendatang”, which was recently used by PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang to describe DAP members, carries negative connotations, the former foreign minister said the “historical context” of the word should be considered.
Following Hadi’s July 16 statement issued via his regular “Minda Presiden PAS” writings on Facebook, his Wawasan Negara counterpart, Hamzah Zainudin, had come to his defence, with the opposition leader instead accusing DAP of being the “real racists”.
PAS election director Sanusi Nor later also drew flak over his remarks at a ceramah event in Jempol, where the Kedah menteri besar is accused of insulting Chinese and Indian Malaysians via his rhetoric.
In the podcast episode recorded prior to Sanusi’s speech, Saifuddin stressed that while PN parties might have differing approaches, Wawasan Negara strives to ensure that the coalition’s members are agreeable on “bigger things”, including bringing down the Pakatan Harapan government in Negeri Sembilan.
“Moving forward, how do we all move to the centre? We are a party that wants to be in the middle, not on the left nor on the right, (but) it’s really hard to be truly in the middle.
“If we cannot be a truly centrist party, then we might be centre-right, but we are not centre-left, and the principle of moderation must be firmly upheld - if this can be carried out, I think it can bring a better future for all parties, especially those within PN,” he said.
Queried on whether Wawasan Negara leaders have spoken to PAS about the matter, Saifuddin said: “We discuss many things with PAS, (but) some things don’t have to be said.”
“Out of the 43 PAS MPs, how many wear a kopiah in the Dewan Rakyat? Only one or two. Why do they ‘show’ (PAS vice-president and PN chairperson) Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar?
“I can’t answer that for PAS, but it means that each party within PN tries its best to be fair to other parties, so we navigate in our own way,” he added.
Making a change
Saifuddin previously told Malaysiakini that Wawasan Negara aims to set itself apart through a structure that mirrors Malaysia's diverse society while remaining anchored to the Federal Constitution and Rukun Negara.
The lawmaker, who was sacked from Bersatu in January over his perceived alliance to Hamzah, said the outfit is not keen on branding itself a “multiracial party” as it would rather be known as a “Malaysian party” that welcomes all viewpoints representing the nation’s diverse communities.
As for the Aug 1 Negeri Sembilan polls, Saifuddin said PN is hoping to make a change in terms of “political configurations”, with the federal government described as facing an “unstable undercurrent” in terms of support from the rakyat.
Such a situation, Saifuddin said, can also be seen in Negeri Sembilan, where Wawasan Negara is fielding four candidates under the PN banner.
He said that while an ideal government would be considered most stable if it has strong support from “majority and minority groups”, the current government is attempting to make do with significant backing from minorities coupled with lacklustre endorsement from the majority.
“For a government to be stable, it must get majority support from the majority group and at least significant, if not majority support, from the minority group, but the government today is supported by a majority of the minority group and a minority of the majority group.
“What happens (because of such an imbalance) affects the government’s psychology - sometimes, at the federal level, a Malay ministry no longer acts like a Malay (when they) defend water festivals and pig farming.
“I’m not saying it’s wrong, but it has become like that because their psychology is unstable because they know their undercurrent is unstable,” Saifuddin detailed.
Leaders lineup
Speaking on Wawasan Negara’s lineup of leaders, Saifuddin sought to allay perceptions that some of its figures are political “frogs” or “traitors”, arguing instead that they should be considered like-minded individuals who are persisting in their fight based on political ideals.
Referring to former Bersatu members who have since shifted their allegiances to Wawasan Negara, Saifuddin said such politicians can be considered “veterans that do not want to repeat their old party’s mistakes”.
“If you look at the central committee lineup of Wawasan Negara, we have a mixture of new faces and old-timers, (the latter of which) have experience, such as (former Umno leader and former Malacca chief minister) Abdul Rahim Thamby Chik.
“The Malacca that exists today is his handiwork - a Malacca that was backwards became advanced under his hand. What’s wrong with having someone who has that kind of experience?” he emphasised.
He added that the party is always open to discussions and suggestions from its younger representatives, some of whom he said have already approached him with their proposals on how to further advance the party’s reach among the youths.
Pointing to party president Hamzah, Saifuddin affirmed that the Larut MP is “not obsessed with becoming prime minister”, hinting that such a stance differs from the one adopted by Bersatu president Muhyiddin Yassin.
“The problem with the old party (Bersatu) was that its leader was obsessed with becoming prime minister - when you’re obsessed with becoming prime minister, do you think presidents of other parties would want to sit down and hold discussions with you?
“Now when we have a leader who doesn't have that on his mind, we can meet with people and people want to meet with us… only then can we have negotiations and find common ground,” Saifuddin said. - Mkini
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.