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Hadi: PAS 'bullied, bought' but persevered
Published:  Apr 20, 2018 5:00 PM
Updated: 10:31 AM

PAS has persevered in its political journey in the last few decades despite being "bullied and bought", said party president Abdul Hadi Awang.

Hadi said the Islamist party will, however, continue to fall, rise and survive with the rakyat even if it does not win a single seat in the coming 14th general election (GE14).

"PAS has, from the beginning, worked to show the way of Islamic administration with elements of sin and reward, and not only through the democratic concept, which can reject governments in elections. In fact, secularism cannot survive without religion.

"Unfortunately, when PAS won in Kelantan and Terengganu and since the year 1959, it was bullied by the federal government, which made various attempts to buy PAS lawmakers.

“Some were bullied, arrested, banished, bribed and even killed, like in the Memali incident. Some were bought at the village levels.

"Although some succumbed to the bullying and bribing and left the party, resulting in the fall of the Terengganu and Kelantan state governments in 1961 and 1978 respectively, PAS has continued to flourish and emerged stronger through the generations to face more attacks," Hadi said in a statement.

The "attacks" did not cease well into the 1990s and even until more recently, in 2013, he added.

The states under the party's rule were also deprived of oil royalty and foreign investments, he claimed further.

Hadi then placed his crosshairs on former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad (above), who recently said that Hadi was not qualified to be a politician and should go and teach religion in schools.

"He (Hadi) is better off being an ustaz (preacher), not a politician; he should be teaching in villages where he will be appreciated, not being in politics, let alone in administration, where he does not know anything," Mahathir had said, in response to Hadi telling him to be a doctor in a 1Malaysia clinic, rather than contesting in Langkawi for GE14.

'Steadfast with Islam'

Hadi said that the fact that no one PAS politician has been probed by MACC is proof that the party administrates well.

"In fact, the problems today are inherited from the time he (Mahathir) led the country and managed its finances.

"Economic problems which burden the rakyat, leakage in the country's wealth, drug problems and other security issues are remnants of his time as the prime minister and deputy prime minister, since the early 1980s.

"PAS remains steadfast with Islam and believes the religion can help solve the rakyat's problems, such as the cost of living, job opportunities, safety and security. Only Islam, which is fair to all, can bring the multiracial and multireligious community together.

"If PAS manages to win with Islam and becomes the 'kingmaker', it will set a condition to be with whoever that accepts Islam. If no one wants Islam, then PAS will continue to be in the opposition.

"Even if PAS does not win a single seat, PAS will survive both falling and rising with the rakyat," Hadi said.

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