KUALA LUMPUR – PAS will continue to be part of Perikatan Nasional and Muafakat Nasional for the unity of the ummah, despite the negative perception of the party’s tactics.
Its Youth chief and Senator Khairil Nizam Khiruddin said he will be the first to encourage it should PAS need to be involved in 10 alliances in the name of ummah unity.
“Unity of the ummah is not the exclusive right of PAS and Umno. It also involves NGOs, NGIs and non-Muslim parties that are not extreme,” he told Sinar Harian in an interview published today.
“Should I work with MCA, how would that be interpreted? If I align with a strong Muslim NGO, it is another alliance.
“We are clear: unity of the ummah belongs to Muslims and non-Muslims who are not extreme, which leads to unity of the people.”
Asked whether PN could win the 15th general election given Umno’s reluctance to cooperate with the coalition after Parliament’s dissolution, he said the Barisan Nasional lynchpin should first settle its internal differences before making a final decision.
“If Umno does not want to be in PN, and should Parliament be dissolved tomorrow, what would Umno ministers do?
“In PN, we will continue to seek support. Anyone willing to be with PN is welcome to support us. But, they won’t be a PN member. Recently, Gerakan has agreed to come on board.”
Addressing numerous topics during the interview, including the #kerajaangagal hashtag, Khairil praised the PN administration for taking consistent and strong action on issues including the “meat cartel”, Sugarbook and Raya-themed gambling advertisements.
If we look at it from another perspective, is the PN government great? Barely a year in, and many things have been exposed. The meat cartel, a RM3.8 billion contract that began in 2014; the immigration cartel that smuggled in illegal immigrants, they are all being exposed now.
“Doesn’t that show the (previous) government did not control police or immigration? Why didn't this crop up during the BN and Pakatan Harapan administrations? How did this come about within a year of PN in power? So, we have to look at things from another angle.”
The PN government deserves praise because of all these exposés, he said.
“During PN’s rules, police continue to make drug busts, not in kilogrammes, but in tonnes. Credit goes to the prime minister, who appointed leaders who have zero record with police and the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission.”
Asked about the status of the Shariah Courts (Criminal Jurisdiction) Act 1965 (RUU 355), Khairil said the matter has been entrusted to Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Religious Affairs) Datuk Ahmad Marzuk Shaary, who tables the subject at every meeting.
“It is not just RUU355.The movement to battle Sugarbook was started by PAS Youth. We met Home Minister Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin. I met him personally, and he assured me that action would be taken immediately. The next day, action was taken.
“The issue involving the (Lembaga) Tabung Haji royal commission of inquiry, we led that as well. We met Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Religious Affairs) Datuk Seri Zulkifli Mohamad Al-Bakri, and he assured us that the process is ongoing. We also follow up on it during the PN supreme council meeting.”
On PAS’ rejection of Undi18, he said the party is keen for youth to be taught political awareness in schools before they are allowed to vote.
“For PAS, initially, we wanted the Undi18 motion to be included with automatic voter registration during our discussions with former youth and sports minister Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman.
“He called only for Undi18 initially. However, he later agreed to automatic voter registration as well. During our discussions, we (PAS) suggested that if Undi18 were to be called, we would need to teach political awareness first.
“Therefore, it is not just about lowering the voting age from 21 to 18 and merely implementing automatic voter registration.
“It involves a holistic change in the country’s education system. In secondary school, our kids should be taught about the national political system. At present, they are learning about national politics only at the STPM level,” he said, referring to the Sijil Tinggi Persekolahan Malaysia examination for Form 6 students.
“We have to revamp this first.” – The Vibes, April 25, 2021
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