Ahmad Faizal Azumu is very wrong.
The PAS President, Hadi Awang has no reasons and that is why he has not been able to substantiate his seven wild and preposterous allegations against DAP and me for as long as six months.
How long more does Hadi Awang need to substantiate his wild and preposterous allegations against DAP and me?
Is there a responsible, honest, and respected Islamic leader, whether in history or anywhere in the world, who cannot substantiate his wild and preposterous allegations for as long as six months?
When did I become anti-Malay, anti-Islam, anti-royalty, a communist, and promoting Islamophobia in my over a half a century of involvement in the politics of Malaysia?
Was I anti-Malay, anti-Islam, anti-royalty, a communist, and promoting Islamophobia when he approached me in 2014 with other PAS leaders to suggest that Pakatan Rakyat should replace Anwar Ibrahim with Tengku Razaleigh as the Prime Minister-designate of Pakatan Rakyat, although Tengku Razaleigh was not in Pakatan Rakyat?
If I had agreed, or better still, suggested that Hadi should be the Prime Minister-designate of Pakatan Rakyat, would Hadi hail me as a great fighter for Islam in Malaysia?
Was I anti-Malay, anti-Islam, anti-royalty, communist, and promoting Islamophobia when Muhyiddin Yassin saw me in a cloak-and-dagger rendezvous in a Kuala Lumpur hotel in 2016 for DAP support for him to be Prime Minister — which I had declined to give as the DAP was committed to Anwar Ibrahim as Prime Minister?
Did I become anti-Malay, anti-Islam, anti-royalty, communist, and promoting Islamophobia because DAP and I did not agree in 2014 that Hadi be the Prime Minister or in 2016 that Muhyiddin be the Prime Minister?
This is not the first time that I had spoken about my meeting with Hadi in 2014 and my meeting with Muhyiddin in 2016, and both have not denied the meetings.
Can Hadi explain why as the Prime Minister’s Special Envoy to the Middle East to two Prime Ministers from 2020–2022, he had failed to lodge a report to the Organisation of Islamic Co-operation (OIC) Islamophobia Observatory of Islamophobia in the highest echelons of Malaysian society — Parliament itself?
Can Hadi explain why he had never levelled his wild and preposterous allegations against the DAP in Parliament?
Is Hadi now going to lodge a report with the OIC Islamophobia Observatory about the DAP promoting Islamophobia?
In his latest speech at the National Unity Week celebration in Kuching a few days ago, the Yang di Pertuan Agong returned to the theme of the importance of national unity as the major asset for the nation’s future.
This has been the theme of the Yang di Pertuan Agong since the 15th General Election six months ago, but the PAS leadership is doing the opposite — relying on lies, falsehoods, and fake news to further polarise inter-racial and inter-religious understanding, and unity in Malaysia.
Fortunately, polarisation in Malaysia has not reached the extreme level as in other countries.
According to the Edelman Trust Barometer Global Report 2023, Malaysia is not in the worst category of six countries which are “severely polarised”, or is it among the second category of nine countries which are “in danger of severe polarisation” or third category of six countries which are “extremely divided”.
Malaysia belongs to the fourth and best category of seven countries which are “less polarised” but with few deep divisions, together with Singapore, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, UAE, China, and India.
We must not allow irresponsible leaders like Hadi to plunge Malaysia into the other three categories where polarisation becomes severe with entrenched deep divisions.
This is why the government must take firm action against Hadi for his reckless statements calculated to disturb and polarise racial peace and religious tolerance in Malaysia.
I am not surprised that Hadi does not support the DAP objective to make Malaysia a role model of the world for inter-ethnic, inter-religious, inter-cultural and inter-civilisational dialogue, understanding, tolerance, and harmony because he will have to stop resorting to lies, falsehoods, and fake news.
Malaysia must reset and return to the original nation-building principles of a plural Malaysia and wipe out corruption, poverty, oppression, and injustices to become a respected world-class nation instead of becoming a divided, failed, and kleptocratic state.
We must give good education to the young generation of Malaysians so that they can compete with the best in the world.
This is the task of the present generation.
The question is whether the present generation can see through the fog of lies, falsehoods, and fake news to pursue the higher truth and mission of the country.
(Media Statement by DAP veteran Lim Kit Siang in Penang on Friday, May 26, 2023)
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