Hadi rubbishes 1M'sia, says PAS' concept key to unity
PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang today rubbished the government's 1Malaysia concept to foster national unity, saying that the real key to that end was with PAS' 'Negara Berkebajikan ' concept.
PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang today rubbished the government's 1Malaysia concept to foster national unity, saying that the real key to that end was with PAS' ' Negara Berkebajikan ' concept.
"Unity in our country will not exist with just 1Malaysia slogans, coupled with the fanning of narrow racism and oppressing the people of various religions and races in this country," he said when delivering his keynote address at the opening ceremony of the 58th national PAS muktamar in Kota Baru this morning.
Instead, he said, it is political Islam that would help shape unity in a multi-racial society.
Abdul Hadi (
left
) reiterated that PAS' '
Negara Berkebajikan
' concept was a form of political Islam and not be likened to the Western conception of a welfare state.
"Unity and compassion are the main objectives of Islam," Abdul Hadi said when unveiling this year's muktamar's theme entitled ‘ Negara Berkebajikan Teras Perpaduan ’ (The welfare state is the core to unity).
Contrasting its policies with BN’s, Abdul Hadi told the 1,116 delegates present that Pakatan Rakyat sought to permanently increase the disposable income of the rakyat rather than one-off remedies made by the ruling coalition.
“Even during the Islamic era free lodging and services were provided for musafir (travellers). Therefore here, taxes that burden the rakyat such as tolls can be abolished, free education and treatment provided,” he said.
Weighing in on the government’s National Education Blueprint (NEB), Abdul Hadi criticised it for being void of religious spirit.
“The vision the education system that was suggested failed to give spirit to genuine religion to students in facing the crisis of character in future,” he said.
‘Typhoon of money’
Abdul Hadi said the five years given to Pakatan and by extension PAS was not enough to bring about big changes, on top of facing constraints from the federal government which had interfered in and pressured the states that they ruled.
“Other than that, there are also some weaknesses of our own which must be continuously rectified through the wisdom of problem-solving,” he said.
He urged delegates to be steadfast in facing the next general election as BN will hit the electorate with a “typhoon of money”.
“The whole country will face a typhoon of money that will enter every house and person’s soul.
“PAS must face this test where the rakyat will be courted with money, projects and the like, on top of dirty tactics used by our opponent,” he said.
As such, he said PAS members must be patient in dealing with the mainstream media, which he predicted would be used by the ruling coalition to fan racism in the run-up to the national polls.
He also called on all levels of the party machinery to work together with Pakatan Rakyat in preparing for the next general election.
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