KUCHING, May 11: Progressive Democratic Party (PDP) president Dato Sri Tiong King Sing has called on Prime Minister Datuk Sri Anwar Ibrahim to take immediate action against PAS president Tan Sri Abdul Hadi Awang for alleged insensitive statements which could stoke racial and religious sentiments.
In a statement today, Tiong said Abdul Hadi and his party members must be condemned for issuing several statements which could confuse as well as create division among the people.
He said even prior to these statements, Abdul Hadi was questioned for accusing non-Muslims and non-Bumiputera of being the cause of corruption, whether as givers or recipients.
“In this regard, I hope that the Prime Minister YAB Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim will be more sensitive to these statements and I hope that strict action will be taken immediately so that it will not become a racial cancer in our society,” said Tiong.
He held that every citizen has the right to live peacefully and harmoniously especially now that the economy has just started to recover after the Covid-19 pandemic.
Recently, Abdul Hadi has been reported to have repeated his controversial claim that non-Muslims and non-Malays are the cause of corruption, in an effort to support the Malay Proclamation initiated by former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
“I am very saddened by this statement especially when it comes from the mouth of a politician who has been involved in national politics for so long.
“Maybe they still haven’t ‘moved on’ or accept the fact that they have been rejected by the people. That is why they chose to make statements and continue to do so to gain popularity,” said Tiong who is also Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister.
To Tiong, targeting certain races for one’s own political interests is not a wise move.
He stressed that such political practices will not improve the situation, instead it will destroy the unity of the nation and create hatred among the people.
“As such, I believe that the government will ensure that the same statement will not be repeated so as not to create untoward incidents in the future,” said Tiong. — DayakDaily
