YOURSAY ‘No amount of damage control will change perception on PAS.’
PAS leader downplays controversial chat
Fair Play: PAS central committee member Dzulkefly Ahmad, it's good that you made an official stand to counter party research centre operations director Mohd Zuhdi Marzuki's statement and you also did the right thing by not commenting on the second part of his statement - to enable PAS to 'swat away' complaints from DAP and non-Muslims. But the damage is already done and very seriously too.
Right-thinking Malaysians would question themselves about PAS' sincerity and their commitment to a better tomorrow for all Malaysians, instead of their narrow vision of ‘Malaysia for Muslims only’.
I, for one, would seriously think not once, but several times, if I should vote for a PAS candidate. Between the devil I know (BN-Umno) and the devil I don't know (PAS), the choice is not difficult, really.
Malaccan: Dzulkefly correctly points out one leader's private view, even that of the president’s, does not represent the party's stand, especially if spoken in private discussion.
However, a leader must be ready to explain his stand or fall by his words when exposed. The top leaders in PAS must address Zuhdi's character flaw and disregard for others, when the objective of Pakatan Rakyat is to build a just and fair society for all.
His Facebook defence does not show any repentance or humility for making Pakatan vulnerable to BN’s attempt to plant doubts in the rakyat's minds. Zuhdi even has the gall to implicate Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim and others.
Zuhdi, like PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang recently and former party vice-president Dr Hasan Ali after GE13, greatly damaged the trust and confidence in PAS' commitment to Pakatan.
Jiminy Qrikert: For PAS leaders to nonchalantly brush aside such an issue being even considered within their central committee is an indication of the extent to which PAS will go to achieve their objectives.
For PAS leaders to pooh-pooh the racist sentiments expressed within their CC group is a very clear sign that it is not beyond PAS to persecute non-Muslims if they ever come to power.
And if they are capable of entertaining racist and religious discrimination in their quest for power, it is also not beyond them to embrace gender discrimination under the guise of religious tenets when they become all supreme.
This exposé simply shows the true nature of PAS and that it will be only a matter of time before the hardcore Islamists rise to take charge.
Dr Dzul is just one of the many Malay politicians who either have no idea or could not be bothered to understand that non-Malays and non-Muslims would very much appreciate Malay politicians taking a stand against racism and racial and religious discrimination.
Here was an opportunity for him to have made a strong stand reaffirming PAS' rejection of any form of discrimination, especially racial and religious. Here was an opportunity for him to rise above the situation and show us the face of moderate PAS. But he failed miserably.
And in so doing, when even a supposedly moderate PAS leader cannot even demonstrate non-discrimination as a top-of-mind concern, then there is no reason to believe PAS can ever be moderate. And therefore, no reason whatsoever to ever again vote PAS.
Ferdtan: Dzulkefly, you can call the remark of Zuhdi a ‘personal opinion’. We understand where you come from - you want to protect your party from further condemnation for the views expressed by Zuhdi, but it won’t work for two reasons.
One, the inflammatory remarks made were too serious to be ignored or dismissed. It was in black and white so there is no way that he was misconstrued.
Two, this remark comes from a top PAS leader, a central committee member holding a strategic position as director of the party’s research centre. So there is no extenuating excuse at all for him.
He deserved to be censured by Malaysians. Say what you want - this remark by a leader holding such a high position in the party is most alarming and disturbing.
Myrights: I don't think this is an isolated opinion within PAS. There has to have a lot of support for it to be discussed openly within the central committee.
The partnering with Umno may be contentious within PAS, but the sidelining of the non-Muslims and non-Malays does not seem to be very contentious.
Therefore, the expose has shown to the world the true mentality and devious plan going on in the minds of a lot of PAS leaders, probably among the conservatives. Abdul Hadi's open support for Khalid proves it.
Apa Nama: Dzulkefly, the damage had been done. No amount of damage control will change the perception unless the party sack him and also those with similar thinking like him.
You have to flush out of all these bigots in PAS. Otherwise PAS is not much different than Ikatan Muslimin Malaysia (Isma) and Malay rights group Perkasa, or even Umno Baru.
Haveagreatday: "However, Dzulkefly made no mention of the rather... collaboration with Umno would enable PAS to ‘swat away’ complaints by DAP and non-Muslims."
I'll commend Dzulkefly for being honest. What can he say? Such racist sentiments exist in some PAS leaders as it does in some DAP leaders.
Odin: With due respect to you, Dzulkefly, you are attempting damage control, is all. I have never had much faith in your party as a whole.
Those in it who are not against the non-Malays and the non-Muslims are surely not that many. One can surmise that most in your supreme council are assuming the same stance as Zuhdi's.
Along with 1M’sia, wither ‘PAS for all’
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