Its president Sek Chin Yong said the people could not place their hopes on a leader who did not “address” differences between religions and races in the country.
He said PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang’s assertion that only Muslims could take the leadership position in governing the country, while non-Muslims may play roles at professional and managerial levels, had neglected the actual history and development of Malaysia.
“We need a leader who puts the people first, who listens to us and who can tolerate the similarities and differences among the people,” he said in his New Year statement today.
“If the leader of the country does not possess the spirit that is stated in the Federal Constitution of Malaysia, and (does) not even try to address the differences between the religions and races, then how do we put our hopes on them (him) to lead the people and the country towards the harmonious future of the people and the country?” he added.
In an article uploaded to Harakah Daily on Dec 22, Hadi had said a country like Malaysia ought to be ruled under a system in which the policymaking powers are held by Muslims, with non-Muslims playing roles as technocrats and managers.
Some media had reported the Marang MP as saying that the “Malaysian government must be led by a Muslim and Malay Bumiputra, and that the head of government and his cabinet members must profess the religion of Islam and must be from the most influential race.”
However, on Tuesday, PAS information chief Nasarudin Hasan told FMT that Hadi had been misquoted and that what he had meant was that “Malay Muslims need to be the core of the country’s political system and administrative structure based on Islamic Jurisprudence.”
Sek said a policy that stressed on equality and equity among the races was the foundation of the country’s development as had been agreed on in the past, for people to live and progress in harmony.
“In the process of fighting for independence, our ancestors agreed that it must be stated in the Federal Constitution that Malaysia is not governed based on a religion, but recognising Islam as the official religion of the country,” he said.
He said a report of the Federal Legislative Council, the precursor to Parliament, published on May 1, 1958, had cited the then chief minister of Malaya, Tunku Abdul Rahman, as saying that the country was not an Islamic state as it was generally understood, but it was merely provided that Islam shall be the official religion of the state.
“The Federal Constitution of Malaysia is designed to secure the people; and no part of the constitution mentioned that the leadership can only be taken by citizens of certain races, languages and beliefs,” he added.
“This is Malaysia, the home for everyone,” he said, adding that the country’s future development needed the people to stand together to build a harmonious and united society.