After meeting Dr Mahathir, PAS chief Hadi says okay to work with critics for Malay political power

KUALA LUMPUR, May 4 — PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang today justified his decision to work with former rival Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, citing the need to put aside any ideological differences to achieve Malay political dominance.

The statement followed a meeting between Hadi and the two-time former prime minister, a move that is widely watched and has fuelled rumours about a purported plot to unseat the Pakatan Harapan-led administration.

In a statement posted on his Facebook page, Hadi said his party and Dr Mahathir shared many “similarities” even as the latter had “wronged” PAS before, as he called on Malay political leaders to unite in the face of a supposed covert attempt by minority groups to usurp political control led by DAP.

Hadi suggested God created “race” for a reason by claiming prophets needed to spread Islam first to their family and race, but then postulated that unity for Islam should trump communalism as he declared it a sin for all Muslims, including Chinese Muslims, to support any other political movements that are seen as “un-Islamic”.

“Even if he (Dr Mahathir) had wronged PAS, there are many points of similarities that must be taken into account and united in order to fulfil what Islam, the country and race requires of us,” he wrote.

“Among what was discussed was the importance of Malay-Muslim unity, who are the ethnic native majority and the majority in a plural society. Therefore, it is crucial to explain the difference between the spirit of nationalism as an ideology and the concept of nationalism that is natural to the human being as dictated by Allah and its role in a plural society,” Hadi added.

DAP is a mixed-ethnicity component member of the ruling coalition, which has made it a constant target of PAS and other rivals who try to paint Pakatan Harapan as a coalition that betrays Islam.

DAP leaders have denied the allegations, calling them a decades-old tactic to play on Malay insecurity.

The tactic has been credited for Perikatan Nasional’s surging clout in Malay-majority states and constituencies in the north and east coast, and PAS leaders have continued to pedal a message of Malay unity ahead of state elections in six states.

Three of them are Selangor, Negeri Sembilan and Penang. Buoyed by its success in the north, PAS had suggested it could end PH three-term rule in Selangor.

PAS is seen as the most influential member in PN, the coalition whose other members are Malay-dominated Bersatu and Gerakan, the predominantly ethnic Chinese party.