Sungai Buloh PAS chief Zaharudin Muhammad said the image of Lim had no connection to the satirical message in his posting, which drew a public backlash and has since been deleted.

“I clearly stated in the post that the image had no relation to what I wrote in the post. There was no intention to insult the appointment of a lieutenant-general in the armed forces.

“It was spun and taken out of context. I will issue an explanation on my Facebook page later,” he told FMT.

In his post, Zaharudin speculated on the emergence of a “first Malaysian Chinese prime minister” in the next 30 to 40 years.

He included in his posting a screenshot of a news report of Lim’s promotion but added that the image was merely for “decorative purposes”.

He drew brickbats from PKR Youth chief Kamil Munim, who described the post as “very malicious” and accused Zaharudin of twisting Lim’s promotion into a narrative that incites hostility.

Separately, Ketereh MP Khlir Nor of Bersatu warned against dragging the military into politics or racial sentiments, saying Lim’s appointment should not be disputed.

“If someone is capable and qualified, what is wrong with promoting them? It should not be questioned,” said Khlir, an army veteran.

Khlir said detailed assessments were carried out by the armed forces council, chaired by the defence minister, for promotions in the military.

He said politicians should focus on more meaningful issues such as the welfare of armed forces personnel and veterans.

Meanwhile, DAP deputy secretary-general Steven Sim called for legal action to be taken against Zaharudin over his posting, which he claimed was seditious.