KUALA LUMPUR — Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) Deputy Secretary-General Sivamalar Genapathy has demanded that PAS President Tan Sri Abdul Hadi Awang retract and publicly apologise for a recent statement comparing wrongdoing by Muslims to cruelty by non-Muslims, made during a joint Barisan Nasional (BN) and Perikatan Nasional (PN) campaign event in Melaka.
In a statement issued today, Sivamalar said the remark—delivered less than 48 hours before Melaka voters head to the polls—insults non-Muslim communities and lowers the standard of national political discourse.
She argued that wrongdoing and injustice must be judged based on an individual’s actions rather than their religious affiliation.
“I demand that Abdul Hadi retract his statement and issue a public apology.
“The leadership of BN and PN must also state their stand. Remaining silent is not an answer when political leaders use religion to differentiate human dignity,” Sivamalar said.
She was referring to a remark attributed to Abdul Hadi by a news portal, in which he was reported to have said that even “the most wicked Muslims governing the country were not as oppressive as non-Muslims”.
Abdul Hadi’s political secretary, Syahir Sulaiman, later clarified to the news portal that the PAS president was referring to events in the history of Islamic governance.
Sivamalar also questioned the silence of non-Malay component and allied parties within both coalitions—specifically MCA, MIC, the Malaysian Indian People’s Party (MIPP), and Gerakan—following Abdul Hadi’s remarks on a shared campaign stage.
“Where is your voice when the dignity of non-Muslim communities is questioned in front of your own political partners? Are political interests and election seats more important than the principle of defending public harmony?” she asked.
Sivamalar added that Melaka voters going to the polls tomorrow will evaluate not only individual candidates, but also the values and principles of the political leadership seeking their mandate.-MalayaDailyToday
