Nasrudin had yesterday said Muslims in the country were concerned that their well-being would now be jeopardised, particularly in relation to legal matters.

He added that the appointments showed the Pakatan Harapan (PH) government was ignoring the feelings and views of Muslims in the matter.

Nasrudin was referring to the appointments of Richard Malanjum as chief justice last night, as well as Liew Vui Keong as minister in the Prime Minister’s Department for legal affairs and Tommy Thomas as attorney-general.

PKR Supreme Council member Gooi Hsiao Leung said that Nasrudin’s statement was made with clear intent to sow racial and religious hatred and discord in the country, and is a blatant and gross abuse of freedom of expression.

“This must be condemned in the strongest terms. There is no basis whatsoever that insinuate that the highly-esteemed and respected figures appointed above will in anyway prejudice or act disfavourably against Muslims in discharging their solemn duties,” he said in a statement today.

Gooi noted that the role of the chief justice, attorney-general and law minister, regardless of their race or religion, is to uphold the rule of law and the Federal Constitution as it is written and intended, in representing all Malaysians of all races and religion.

“It is not their job to represent only one race or religion over others,” he said in a statement today.

The Bukit Tengah assemblyman challenged PAS to immediately disown Nasrudin’s extremist views contained in his statement.

“If they don’t do so, the party leadership will be collectively held responsible and condemned for Nasrudin’s conduct in inciting racial and religious hatred in the country,” he said.

Gooi said in the New Malaysia landscape, where Bangsa Malaysia comes first, they needed to always be vigilant in guarding the nation against views that divide them along race and religion.

“There is no room for religious bigotry and racist zealots in our New Malaysia. Any party that cannot change with the times and continues to play up narrow racial and religious sentiments, must and will be rejected,” he said.

Gooi said he could vouch that the PH leadership “will never tolerate and will always vehemently oppose any form of racist and religious extremist views aimed at creating discord in the country, be it coming from PAS or any other party in the country”.

PAS: Shariah a distant dream as non-Muslims ‘take over’ judicial posts