Why no alms during floods, when schools reopened, PAS asked

KUALA LUMPUR – Pakatan Harapan (PH) has questioned PAS’ rationale of “alms distribution” during the recent election campaign, as opposed to other periods deemed more critical to the public. 

Terengganu PH chairman Datuk Raja Kamarul Bahrin Shah Raja Ahmad argued that any such “sedekah” would have served more purpose had it been distributed when the east coast state was ravaged by monsoon floods mid-December. 

Similarly, he said cash handouts would also have been more helpful if given at the start of the third term of the school session earlier this month, or ahead of the new academic calendar in March. 

“It must be remembered that the previous Perikatan Nasional (PN) government claimed to be a clean and perfect government, as though they are infallible," he said in a statement today. 

“However, why was bribery so widespread in Terengganu during the 15th general election like never seen before? 

“Why did the sedekah take place outside of the school reopening and flooding seasons? What was the true intention behind the sedekah?”

Kamarul was responding to a recent statement by PAS president Tan Sri Abdul Hadi Awang justifying recent cash handouts to party supporters during the general election as a charitable act, and therefore not against election rules. 

The Marang MP also claimed that the alms were courtesy of public donations and not distributed directly by election candidates. 

Previously, Barisan Nasional filed election petitions for three parliamentary seats alleging vote buying during the campaign period, including for the Marang constituency.

Kamarul said it is shocking that Hadi would claim it is not unlawful to give out cash during elections on the excuse of charity.

“Even if the sedekah is not wrong in the eyes of international law, isn’t it wrong from the moral point of view, what more based on Islamic values?”

Kamarul also questioned a statement by PN secretary-general Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainuddin that the right or wrong in distributing cash handouts depends on the intention of the giver. 

“If Hadi claims it is sedekah and Hamzah says it depends on the intention, it appears this flawed logic can only be determined by the National Fatwa Committee. You can’t expect the committee to be on duty every election!” – The Vibes, January 23, 2023