Kong Soon Choi, the STAR Youth chief, said the Marang MP’s comments were not only baseless, but could also affect the harmony in the country.

“Such unsubstantiated allegations can fan racial sentiments. It’s time to stop issuing such immature statements. When it comes to politics, we need to take into account the sensitivities of others,” he told FMT.

Kong – whose party is part of Perikatan Nasional, of which PAS is a partner – was happy that many Muslims and Bumiputeras had criticised Hadi’s statement.

On Saturday, Hadi wrote a Facebook posting about non-Muslims and non-Bumiputeras being the majority of those involved in corruption.

“In fact, the majority of those involved in ruining the country’s politics and economy, are non-Muslims and non-Bumiputeras,” he had said.

His statement drew brickbats from various quarters, including politicians and NGOs, with Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) vice-president Liwan Lagang calling for Hadi to be banned from entering Sarawak “for life”.