Some 100 PAS members and supporters protested outside Nanyang Siang Pau's office in Petaling Jaya this morning over a cartoon which depicted the Islamic party's president Abdul Hadi Awang and Dewan Rakyat speaker Pandikar Amin Mulia as monkeys.

Gathered outside the front gate of the office, the protesters gave the thumbs down sign for the publication. They also balled up some Nanyang newspapers and stomped on them.

Addressing the crowd, PAS Youth central first assistant secretary Nurul Islam Mohd Yusoff accused the century-old newspaper of stoking religious tension and urged the Home Ministry to pull the plug.

At first, he shouted “demolish Nanyang! Suspend Nanyang!” to which the crowd echoed his slogan.

Parliament gathering place for monkeys?

Later, Batu PAS information chief claimed Nanyang's cartoon had degraded Hadi and Pandikar, and to some extent, the Yang Di-Pertuan Agong.

“Do they insult Dewan Rakyat as the gathering place of monkeys? Most disappointedly, does the person who officiates Parliament — the Yang Di-Pertuan Agong - is a monkey? This is very kurang ajar.

“I want to ask Home Ministry, where is the Home Minister? The ministry should have closed down Nanyang Siang Pau yesterday. According to the Printing Presses and Publication Act, their printing permit should have been suspended.”

Merely personal opinion

However, PAS Youth information chief Ahmad Fadhli Shaari, after meeting and submitting the protest memorandum to Nanyang's editorial management, said the shutdown demand was a personal opinion.

"The demand is still in discussion as we have to consider Nanyang has apologised. It is a personal opinion. We will determined our stand later," he said.

Ahmad, who is Kelantan PAS youth chief, shared his discussion with the Nanyang editorial team to the crowd in a 40-minute discussion.

He said he warned the press not to repeat the mistake by playing up the religion sentiment.

Formal apology letter

According to him, he also requested Nanyang to issue a formal apology letter to Hadi and Pandikar.

“We want them to issue (an) official letter to Hadi and the speaker to apologise to then. We warned them to refer to Ahok (Jakarta governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama)'s blasphemy trial and Denmark's Prophet Muhammad cartoon and not to disturb the religion.

“We can forgive but not forget,” Ahmad said, adding Nanyang should refer to PAS over the confusion on Act 355.

Yesterday, Nanyang, which is owned by timber tycoon Tiong Hiew King, apologised for the cartoon and retracted it.

The cartoon lampooned the speaker, Abdul Hadi and other parliamentarians over the Syariah Courts (Criminal Jurisdiction) Act 1965 (Act 355) issue.