Former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad said PAS has shown its actual struggles concerning issues on the country’s independence and members of the security forces following the controversial statement made by its deputy president, Mohamad Sabu.

He said the PAS leaders, based on their beliefs, rejected the role played by the late Tunku Abdul Rahman and Onn Jaafar in the history of the country’s independence.

“Mohamad Sabu in his statement had spoken a lot, and as such, we know what is their intention, and that is truly their struggles,” he told reporters after delivering a keynote address at a gathering at Seri Negeri, Ayer Keroh in Malacca today.

Also present at the gathering organised by the Malacca state government, the Malaysian Creative Malay Organisation (Pemimpin), and the Malaysian Institute of Historical Studies and Patriotism (Iksep), were Malacca Chief Minister Mohd Ali Rustam, and executive chairman of Pemimpin Prof Dr Ibrahim Abu Shah.

Mahathir said PAS felt that they were now stronger to the extent that they could make controversial statements.

    

Mohamad’s statement in Tasek Gelugor on Aug 21 had also described the 4th Company of the Communist Party of Malaya (CPM), that attacked Bukit Kepong which killed 25 members of the security force and their families in 1950, as heroes because the victims who were killed were members of the police force under the British imperialists.

Asked whether legal action could be taken against the PAS deputy president, Mahathir said: “It’s up to the government.”

He said that PAS had previously championed for an Islamic nation but had now dropped this struggle, and the ‘Hudud’ law which it had championed in the past had also been dropped.

“The people should know the actual struggles of PAS, otherwise they would always be misled,” he said.

‘Britain’s and Germany’s cruelty on immigrants’

Mahathir also said the recent issue on violence committed by the people in Britain and Germany had demonstrated the cruelty of these countries’ leadership on the immigrants.

    

He said that in the past, these governments had described us as being cruel for purportedly not treating the Indian and Chinese communities well.

“But now, they are facing problems caused by the immigrants who were staying in their country. The actions taken are even more cruel,” he added.

Meanwhile in KUALA LUMPUR, a historian felt that the controversy over who are the actual heroes in the Bukit Kepong tragedy is part of a political psy-war to attract public attention.

A professor of the Faculty of Administrative Science and Policy Studies, Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM), Professor Dr Ramlah Adam said the controversy was raised because certain political parties were running out of issues after the July 9 street demonstration.  

“To me, it is just a sensation deliberately created,” she said when interviewed in the programme 'Kerusi Panas', produced by Bernama Radio24.  

- Bernama