Its information chief Kamarudin Md Nor said the Masjid An-Nur committee members’ refusal to give their permission for the programme, as claimed by the qadi, was just an excuse to block it for political purposes.
“It is strange that a mosque in the area does not allow the MP of Pagoh himself to hold an event with the people in the month of Ramadan,” he said.
“In my view it is clear that there was some political element involved and that the move was instigated by a higher party in the state government since the mosque comes under the Johor Islamic Department.
“I am convinced that there was a directive from above, possibly a minister. The assertion that the mosque committee did not agree to it was only an excuse. The truth is this was due to instructions from someone at a higher level,” he told FMT.
According to Pagoh PPBM deputy head Tahir Mohd Taat, Muhyiddin was officially informed he could not hold the event at the mosque in Pekan Kundang Ulu in Tangkak, through a letter from the qadi’s office that was faxed to the party’s community centre in the constituency yesterday.
The former deputy prime minister was scheduled to hold the gathering, which was to include presentations of rice as donations to mosques and madrasahs in the constituency, in the compound of the Masjid An-Nur tomorrow.
The letter dated May 31 was signed by the district qadi of Tangkak, Mohd Nasri Rahman, who said the event could not go ahead after the mosque’s committee came to an agreement not give its approval.
According to the letter, the qadi’s office made the decision to respect “the interest of all parties.”
Kamarudin however said the mosque’s committee should have imposed conditions on Muhyiddin to ensure that the gathering would not take on political undertones.
“I am disappointed with the attitude of the mosque’s committee. If they do not want to give their approval, they can set conditions that there should not be any political talk at the event,” he said.
“I am confident that Muhyiddin would have abided to such an instruction.”