By Aidila Razak | Jun 3, 11 Malaysiakini
PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang today made it clear that any bid to forge cooperation between PAS and Umno in the name of Malay unity is an effort in futility.
Not mincing his words during his keynote speech at the Muktamar in Gombak, Kuala Lumpur today, Abdul Hadi (right) said that Umno had forsaken the Malays and bumiputera by plundering wealth through dubious means. “Umno as a Malay-bumiputera majority party was entrusted with leadership (but)… the wealth of the nation has been turned into the private property of leaders, while the rakyat struggle to make ends meet.
“(We teach society that) there is a difference between PAS’ cooperation in Pakatan Rakyat, with cooperation with Umno in BN, which sacrifices Islamic principles,” he told an audience of about 1,000.
Abdul Hadi, who was delivering the speech on behalf of PAS spiritual leader Nik Aziz Nik Mat, said that the claim of “Umno Malays” to seek Malay unity but continue to vote non-Malay BN candidates against PAS.
“Umno has created a flock of Malays and Muslims who are blind and deaf to money politics, with entertainment and media used to turn Malays and Muslims stupid,” he said.
Abdul Hadi’s strongly-worded speech comes on the back of renewed calls by BN that the Islamic party abandon Pakatan Rakyat and join BN in the name of Malay unity.
Abdul Hadi added that PAS has an obligation to clean up politics from “disgusting acts like corruption, money politics, slander, racism, lies and all manner of things which embarrass even our children who are watching us”.
“Politics needs to be cleaned up but this cannot be done by Umno-BN who have sullied it with their own hands,” he said cuttingly, during the hour-long speech.
Lambasting the call for Umno-PAS cooperation as “narrow communalism”, Abdul Hadi said that Islam acknowledges the existence of racially plural societies.
“We need to realise that a plural (majmuk) society is part of Islam’s political message.
“It is compulsory for us to spread the message of no compulsion in religion, and that Islam is fair for all… so (non-Muslims) can see how Islam should be practiced, and Islam’s image which has been tainted by Umno’s antics can be redeemed,” he said.
[More to follow]