PETALING JAYA – Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin today claimed that his speech at a ceramah in Pulai on Saturday was taken out of context.
He said someone had manipulated his speech to allege that he had claimed that it is “haram” (sinful) to vote for Pakatan Harapan (PH) candidate Suhaizan Kaiat in the Pulai parliamentary by-election.
“My speech was long, and I touched on numerous issues faced by the people, especially the rising cost of living, which had not been overcome by the government.
“In view of this, I urged voters in Pulai not to vote for Suhaizan,” he said in a Facebook post today.
The Perikatan Nasional chairman denied he had said it is “haram” to vote for PH.
“As someone who understands religious laws, I cannot simply issue any religious fatwa, especially so in a country where there is a Fatwa Council empowered to issue such fatwa,” he said.
“I believe those who followed my speech during the ceramah understood what I said.
“Based on the audience’s response, I am confident they did not regard my speech as a religious fatwa.
“I believe my speech was taken out of context and manipulated by certain quarters to confuse the people.”
Police have since opened an investigation paper against Muhyiddin in connection to the alleged “haram” remark.
Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Razarudin Husain said Muhyiddin is being investigated under Section 505(b) of the Penal Code for allegedly issuing a statement that created public fear and anxiety and also under Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998. – The Vibes, September 6, 2023
