Kit Siang: Hadi’s PAS mere shadow of party under Nik Aziz

“If Nik Aziz was alive, PAS would not have any hesitation in joining the patriotic movement of political parties and NGOs in the Save Malaysia movement.”

DAP veteran outlines difference between past and present PAS leaders, saying late spiritual leader would not have tolerated political trickery and treachery.

(FMT) – DAP supremo Lim Kit Siang has made it clear that PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang will never be in the same league as the Islamist party’s former spiritual adviser Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat.

Highlighting the difference between Hadi and Nik Aziz, who died at the age of 84 on Feb 12, 2015, Lim said the latter would not have allowed PAS to stoop to the depths it has in recent times in disparaging other opposition parties and its leaders.

“In the last 48 hours, we were shown another aspect of the great difference between Nik Aziz’s PAS and Hadi Awang’s PAS.

“There was the crude display of the spread of fake news and lies, with expensive and multi-coloured banners attacking Pakatan Harapan and Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (PPBM) leaders displayed outside PAS headquarters in Kuala Lumpur yesterday,” Lim said in a scathing statement released today.

Calling the handover of a memorandum from Selangor PAS to PAS information chief Nasrudin Hassan Tantawi outside the PAS HQ, as a “charade” concocted by Nasrudin himself, Lim said that the PAS leader would have faced Nik Aziz’s wrath had a similar stunt been pulled in the past.

“Nik Aziz would not have countenanced any political trickery and treachery, especially by PAS leaders.”

Lim, who is also Gelang Patah MP, also listed events in the past which showed the trust and respect Nik Aziz had for DAP and its leaders.

“If DAP and DAP leaders are anti-Malay and anti-Islam, why was PAS a member of Pakatan Rakyat from 2008 to 2013 which received the support of the majority of the popular vote in the 13th general election?

“If DAP and DAP leaders were anti-Malay and anti-Islam, would Nik Aziz have visited the then DAP national chairman Karpal Singh in his Penang house on Thaipusam in January 2013, where Nik Aziz’s 82nd birthday was also celebrated with a ‘Pakatan Rakyat’ birthday cake?” Lim said, asking how things had changed so radically in PAS after Nik Aziz’s death.

He added that the attacks on DAP, Amanah and PPBM amounted to an open declaration of war by the PAS leadership against the opposition parties, and suggested that Nik Aziz would have done the exact opposite.

“If Nik Aziz was alive, PAS would not have any hesitation in joining the patriotic movement of political parties and NGOs in the Save Malaysia movement.

“I also believe Nik Aziz would have no problem in endorsing my statement and vision that Malaysians cannot and should not be anti-Malay, anti-Chinese, anti-Indian, anti-Kadazan or anti-Iban or anti any religion.”

On the supposed memorandum from Selangor PAS, which is part of the state government which also includes elected representatives from PKR, DAP and Amanah, Lim said the reality of the situation among the grassroots in the Islamic party in the state was far different.

“PAS grassroots in Selangor have been very upset and restive about the Hadi PAS leadership’s hardline stand in cozying up to the Najib Razak leadership of Umno.

“This explains the extraordinary statement by the PAS vice-president Iskandar Abdul Samad, before the PAS Central Committee meeting last week that even if the PAS Central Committee and PAS Syurah Council decided to sever ties with PKR, PAS’ Selangor executive councillors, members in GLCs, councillors and village heads will not resign,” Lim said, predicting that PAS is likely to lose all its state seats in Selangor in the next general election (GE14).

“They will lose as voters, both Muslim and non-Muslim, are disappointed with the new direction of the Hadi-led PAS leadership of cozying up with Najib.”

Lim also urged opposition parties to reach out and win over PAS members and voters to support the Save Malaysia movement to ensure the victory of democracy in GE14 and to keep alive the memory and spirt of Nik Aziz.