PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang has warned that DAP’s ambition to bring back local elections may lead to another May 13 race riots.

“We should not propose something that will lead to instability, widen the gap between villages and towns and more frightening is such tension can build up and result in a repeat of the May 13 incident which is a black mark in our country’s history,” he said in a statement today.

Hadi reasoned that local elections will only benefit the town folk and marginalise surrounding villages.

“In the politics of managing a town, we should consider all quarters and sections (of society) which contribute to the town’s prosperity.

“Therefore, the local government elections championed by DAP returns to an old mistake which only looks to the towns to win elections in a short time,” Hadi said.

He pointed out that towns are dominated by Chinese Malaysians.

"Look at the income gap between a town council in Selangor, which has an annual revenue of RM250 million, and a municipal council in rural Selangor which has an annual revenue of RM50 million and whether the majority is of another race.

 

"We should not look at political victory and economic control for only one section of a plural society," he said.

 

Hadi said Malay Malaysians in the villages, Indian Malaysians in the estates and native Malaysians in the interiors should not be sidelined.

 

"A town cannot be managed only in terms of development but also in terms of its people and those dwelling around it, who contribute to its prosperity and are akin to blood flowing in a body.

 

"If the blood flow is not right, more so if it is blocked, it will lead to unfortunate consequences," he said.

 

PAS has attacked DAP's push for local elections in Penang in response to DAP's criticism of the Islamic party's desire to implement hudud in Kelantan.

 

DAP opposes hudud in Kelantan, citing that it is not part of Pakatan Rakyat's common policy but PAS says local elections too had not been agreed upon by all three parties in the coalition.