Shah Alam MP feels the wrath of Selangor Sultan
The Sultan viewed Khalid Samad’s statement as insolent and a challenge to the powers of the Sultan as head of religion
Roslan Bistamam, Free Malaysia Today
The Sultan of Selangor has taken Shah Alam Member of Parliament Khalid Samad to task regarding his criticism of MAIS.
Last month, Khalid questioned the authority of MAIS and suggested the Pakatan Rakyat state government remove the executive powers of that state religious authority, which comes under the authority of the Sultan.
At the Pekan Sepang mosque tonight the Sultan said he regretted that there were certain Muslim politicians and scholars who did not defend the sanctity of Islam and instead politicised religious issues with the intent to confuse the people.
He added that there were those who dared question religious authorities such as MAIS that were tasked with the job of ensuring the sanctity of Islam and managing the affairs of Islam in Selangor.
This is probably the strongest statement by the Sultan thus far, who said he was extremely saddened and regretted the irresponsible statement by Khalid.
The Sultan reminded Khalid that he is not an ‘anak jati’ Selangor or Selangor born and yet was allowed to become a Member of Parliament in Selangor so he should equip himself by properly understanding Selangor state laws, especially those regarding religious affairs.
Khalid’s statement clearly shows his ignorance regarding the role of MAIS, said the Sultan, which is supposed to advise and assist the Sultan in executing his powers as head of Islam in Selangor.
The Sultan viewed Khalid’s statement as insolent and a challenge to the powers of the Sultan as head of religion and added this was not the first time the PAS MP was doing this.
The fact that one-third of the Sultan’s speech touched on this matter and that Khalid was mentioned by name rather than in parables is probably the first time such a strong rebuke has been issued by the Palace.
Usually Palace rebukes are vague and left to the imagination of the people as to who the Ruler was referring to.
This probably can also be interpreted as a warning shot from the Palace that it will not tolerate any challenge to its authority whether in matters of who can use the Allah word, the Malay language Bible, and so on.
