Hadi sounds a warning against Malay fanatics
PAS president says Malays who lead the country must be guided by Islam, not race
(Free Malaysia Today) – The president of PAS, Abdul Hadi Awang, has sounded a warning to Malay politicians to provide leadership based on Islamic principles and not by racial sentiments.
He said the country’s leaders must come from the Malay community, being the most influential, but they must be guided by Islam and not Malay fanaticism.
“Leaders have to be principled. Islam propagates a democracy which is credible and not a democracy which revolves around money politics,” he was quoted as saying.
He said Muslim leaders should ensure that all communities were taken care of and protected. Hadi also said Islam taught its followers to live peacefully with people of other religions and cultures.
Hadi added that Malaysia as a country with people of all races, religions and cultures should live together harmoniously as a community. He said it was not possible for people of one race or nation to exclude themselves from people of other races and nations. “You can’t reject inter-dependency with those different from yourselves,” he said at an Islamic congress here, Star Online reported.
The PAS leader’s comments come at a time when Umno politicians and Malay groups have called for a street rally on Sept 16 with calls and messages urging an uprising to restore Malay pride.
The rally of participants wearing red t-shirts was to have been a counter-demonstration to the Bersih 4 street demonstrations of Aug 29-30 to demand political reforms and the resignation of Najib Razak as prime minister.
However the national silat federation, Pesaka, has said there would only be one rally on Sept 16, called the Himpunan Rakyat Bersatu, or united people’s rally, at which all Malaysians were welcome. Pesaka chairman Mohd Ali Rustam repudiated the Red Shirts rally and said Pesaka members would wear black, their traditional colours, and others were welcome to come as they pleased.
