Don't use religion as a political weapon, says Sabah Pakatan chief

 

KOTA KINABALU: Sabah Pakatan Harapan chairman Datuk Mustapha Sakmud (pic) has reminded political parties not to exploit religious sentiment as a weapon to challenge opponents' strategies, following remarks linking parliamentary democracy as an institution to an end-times figure.

The Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Sabah and Sarawak Affairs) expressed regret over a statement by PAS president Tan Sri Abdul Hadi Awang, who likened the confidence and supply agreement (CSA) approach to "Dajjal" (false Messiah), stressing that such a label was highly unfamiliar and could confuse Muslims.

"When political arguments are no longer sufficient, must end-times terminology be turned into a weapon? The CSA can be debated rationally within the framework of parliamentary democracy without resorting to religious sentiment to discredit those with differing views," he said in a statement on Tuesday (Nov 3).

He noted that the CSA approach had previously been adopted when PAS was part of the federal government, raising questions about the rationale for labelling the mechanism negatively.

Mustapha said diversity in religion, ethnicity and cultural backgrounds had long been central to uniting Sabah's multiracial society and should not be used to fuel animosity.

"For Sabahans, portraying fellow Muslims in such a negative light merely because they hold different political views is alien and unacceptable.

"Religion should unite, not divide and Sabah does not need to be lectured on unity by those who continue to label one another," he said.

He therefore called on all Sabahans to uphold the harmony they have long enjoyed and strongly reject divisive political practices that exploit religion for power, while urging all parties to find common ground in safeguarding the people's well-being. – Bernama