GEORGE TOWN – Pakatan Harapan (PH) has been urged to utilise the moderate ulama in its ranks to counter false and hard-line narratives propagated by PAS following the recent general election.
“It is time to unleash our moderate and knowledgeable ulama to correct any misinterpretation of Islam and the exploitation of polarising elements in race and religion to divide and rule Malaysians.
“There are such individuals around; it is just that they opted for a low-profile stance, and this allowed PAS to exploit the vacuum in religious discourse by peddling misinformation – to the extent it overwhelmed the Malay ground,” said Permatang Pasir assemblyman Muhammad Faiz Fadzil in an interview.
PAS is currently the biggest party in the Dewan Rakyat, with 49 MPs out of 222 in total.
The Kedah-born lawyer said that it was time to fight “falsehoods” with righteous preachers, who could also clarify any misgivings that the youth have regarding the multi-ethnic country they live and survive in.
“It is unsettling that Perikatan Nasional (PN) won many seats driven by false narratives instead of one solid plan to rebuild the country after the people endured a ‘perfect storm’ including a pandemic, political imbroglio, and global economic unrest.
“Also, enough of appeasing them. Every time, a hard-liner ulama preaches falsehoods, we try to debate and gently coax them to the right path. I think this is the wrong approach. They have now trampled over us,” he said.
As such Faiz opined that it was time for the moderates in Islamic society to speak up against extremism, especially, as the world knows that governance based on falsehoods and extremism is never sustainable, especially in a developing country like Malaysia.
The Amanah central leadership committee member said that it was sad that in an age where voters want authentic leadership, PAS has decided to brand their rivals as communists and Israeli agents with no attempts to prove their claims.
Faiz said that Penang PH needed to be serious about countering PAS with a state election looming, urging for the production of short videos to rebut claims that PH is a stooge of liberalism or the Chinese community, adding that such content can be uploaded on TikTok.
As for DAP, Faiz said that party leaders meant well in trying to censure PAS over its double standards and abuse of religious matters, which not only antagonises non-Muslims but also the Muslim silent majority.
“But PAS has turned around DAP’s criticism as attacks on the Muslim community. They use it to project themselves as the sole custodian of Islam and Muslims.
“This is far from the truth as they are also politicians, who have partnered with everyone from DAP (communists) to the corrupt (Umno) to further their political expediency.”
DAP, he said, should refrain from commenting and avoid being entrapped by PAS – who want to pick a fight with them – adding that it is better to allow the moderate ulama to take on the PN-component party.
He also urged DAP to keep its own extremist members in check so they will not provide impetus for PAS to exploit the fault lines of race and religion.
“Every religion has their extremist segments. We should not allow these to derail what the silent majority wants, which is peace and nation building.
“We have had enough falsehoods in our lives. Focus on what counts,” he added. – The Vibes, December 13, 2022
