PAS today called upon the government to prove its stand and explain its repeated allegations of terrorist activity in local universities, failing which the party will reveal evidence that the government is lying about the whole matter.

pas muktamar 130610 salahuddin ayub 2 "The ministers or the prime minister should explain quickly and clear the air. Show proof if it is true that there is terrorism in our institutions of higher learning," said the Islamic party's vice-president Salahuddin Ayub ( left ).

Speaking at a joint press conference held by the party's parliamentarians at the parliament lobby today, Salahuddin claimed that he has evidence that the government is lying about the existence of terrorist activity in our universities.

This, he said, is according to information he obtained about a recent briefing allegedly held by the Higher Education Ministry, which contradicts the current government stand of rampant terrorist activity in local educational institutions.

"In this meeting, I was told that no empirical or strong proof was given to the ministry on the JI issue. Yet the issue and perception that they are trying to portray that there is terrorist activity in our country, which supposedly involved local institutions of higher learning," he added.

Expressing the party's disappointment over the issue, Salahuddin said that they hope the government will clarify their stand over the alleged terror threat.

"We ask that the issue be explained in Parliament. If not I will expose the details of the meeting which I have obtained. We give them maybe a week until the end of the parliament session," warned the Kubang Kerian parliamentarian.

‘Students being made scapegoats'

Salahuddin said that he and his fellow PAS MPs are worried that the students accused of being terrorists are simply being made "scapegoats" in Premier Najib Abdul Razak's bid to win US President Barack Obama's favour by portraying Malaysia as a US ally in the war against terror.

"I am worried because maybe this is a global agenda, especially after the meeting between the PM and Barack Obama, when suddenly we see this agenda being played up again and again."

He contended that the government is also using the terrorist issue as a diversion.

"We think that this is an issue that is intentionally brought up, a cheap conspiracy for them to divert the people's attention from issues of governance."

khalid samad pas muktamar 2 Salahuddin added that they are also worried that certain parties may also use the terrorism issue as a convenient excuse to frame certain persons or organisations as being involved in terrorism.

Shah Alam parliamentarian Khalid Samad ( right ), who was also at the press conference, hinted that the government's move may hold a more sinister agenda.

"Their aim is to create fear among the populace, especially amongst the non-Muslims, in preparation to face the next general election. Whereby any person or organisations which talks about Islam or wanting to establish a society administered by Islamic laws will be linked to terrorism, creating Islamophobia," alleged the PAS leader.

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