MCA has called on DAP to quit Pakatan Rakyat over PAS’ “repeated provocations” in order to “preserve the dignity” of the Chinese and non-Muslims communities.

“I urge DAP to withdraw from Pakatan as DAP has no strength to fend off the repeated provocations and oppression from PAS which impede the dignity of Chinese and non-Muslim voters,” said MCA central committee member Loh Seng Kok in a statement today.

malaysiakini interview loh seng kok 061108 05 He was likely to be referring to the media reports of a non-Muslim female hairdresser in Kota Bharu who had allegedly been summoned by the municipal council for cutting a male customer's hair.

“Although Lim Guan Eng and PAS claim that PAS’ hardline policies will not pose a threat to the cultural practices of non-Muslims, if DAP does not want to pawn away the rights of the Chinese and non-Muslim communities, DAP should withdraw from the Pakatan coalition and declare firmly that they do not support PAS hudud enactments in order to quell the concerns of the Chinese and non-Muslim communities about the effects of PAS hudud enactments will have on them,” said Loh ( above ).

His call follows MCA Wanita secretary-general Chew Lee Giok, who on cue yesterday immediately linked the reports to the hudud issue, MCA’s main battle cry against the opposition for the upcoming GE13.

Doom to haircare industry

Meanwhile Penang MCA Wanita chairperson Tan Cheng Liang in a separate statement said PAS is “lying absolutely through their teeth” by saying non-Muslims would not be affected by hudud laws.

“This deception is designed to appear moderate and win non-Muslim ballots. The hair dressers’ case in Kota Bharu is just another example as to how PAS policies causes unjust income loss on non-Muslim entrepreneurs trying to earn an honest living,” she said.

NONE Tan ( right ) also said the incident would provoke an exodus of hairdressers out of the state and cause loss of income to those of the craft and push up the costs of haircare.

“It is bad enough that PAS tears families apart when it enforces separated check out counters and cinemas in Kelantan, but the extension of this gender segregation ruling to hair salons owners results with unnecessary economic hardship and talent loss.

“This is because, in addition to having to pay fines, proprietors would have to reduce hiring employees or even releasing a few of them as they cannot accept clients of the opposite gender which effectively leads to a reduction of clients coming to their hair salon.

“Hair stylists would also have to leave Kelantan state to seek a living in other states, while consumers maybe burdened with higher costs as hair dressers raise their prices to cover rental and other overheads,” she added.

Mirroring Loh, Tan went after DAP's scalp saying “the Kelantan scenario clearly shows that PAS does not care a twig as to what DAP announces”.

“Hence, DAP will not be able to protect the non-Muslim community  but paradoxically is only helping PAS to subjugate Malaysians further no different from the Taliban regime,” she said.

'Why only Muslim for PM?'

Loh in his statement also took issue with DAP for remaining silent over PAS’ claim that the country’s prime minister should be a Muslim.

Pakatan dinner Hadi He said PAS deputy commissioner Mohd Amar’s claim that PAS president Hadi Awang () was the natural choice for premiership as PAS’ policy that the prime minister must be a Muslim, was “misleading” and “erroneous”.

“Such statements mislead the rakyat as they are a complete erroneous interpretation of the federal constitution, and also indicate that PAS’ policies will supercede the supreme law of the land,” he said.

"On PAS’ choice for the prime ministership, most of the time, DAP opts to divert the attention of the Chinese and non-Muslim community," he said.

“I challenge the DAP to openly declare that the candidate for the prime minister’s post must only be a Muslim. Otherwise, its open support for PAS is none other than to fish for votes.”

Ironically, MCA is the second largest party in the ruling coalition of over half a century, whose prime minister has historically been selected from within Umno by Umno members.

Unisex salon ruling - PAS must be a cut above