Will anyone speak out against slander, DAP leaders ask PAS amid 'derma jihad'

Summary

• DAP Youth leader Syaheera Ghafar questions if anyone in PAS will speak out against slander following the latter’s “derma jihad” campaign for Kepala Batas MP Siti Mastura Muhammad.

• She says PAS members may forget that slander is sinful if they keep obliging to their leadership’s instructions without question.

• A PKR leader tells PAS not to misuse the word “jihad” to protect the slanderous.

With PAS organising a donation drive to help its MP Siti Mastura Muhammad, a DAP Youth leader has asked whether anyone in the Islamist party would speak out against slander.

This came after PAS allegedly organised a donation drive to help Siti Mastura pay RM825,000 in damages to DAP leaders after losing a court battle.

“The ‘derma jihad’ organised to help Siti Mastura (above) makes me wonder if there is anyone within the party’s ranks who would voice out to say this should not have happened.

“Or will the party’s rank and file just oblige and make the party infamous for normalising acts of slander?” said DAP Youth assistant publicity secretary Syaheera Ghafar on Facebook today.

On Dec 4, the Georgetown High Court ruled in favour of three DAP leaders in their defamation suit against Siti Mastura.

This was over Siti Mastura’s claims linking Lim Kit Siang, DAP chairperson Lim Guan Eng and Seputeh MP Teresa Kok to the late Communist Party of Malaya supremo Chin Peng.

According to the DAP leaders' counsel Sankara Nair, judge Quay Chew Soon ordered Siti Mastura to pay a total of RM750,000 in damages to the DAP trio, specifically RM300,000 to Kit Siang, RM250,000 to Guan Eng and RM200,000 to Kok.

Yesterday, in a letter that is being spread on social media, PAS secretary-general Takiyuddin Hassan said the DAP leaders were demanding immediate payment, resulting in the Islamist party’s “derma jihad” campaign.

It was also reported yesterday that the court granted Siti Mastura an interim stay of execution on paying the damages.

According to Free Malaysia Today, this is pending a hearing on Jan 23 - brought forward from the original date on Feb 19 - to decide on her application for a longer stay of execution.

Nair was quoted as saying that if the stay is not granted, he has been instructed to commence bankruptcy proceedings.

Passing the buck

Lamenting the situation, Syaheera said it was convenient for the PAS leadership to get their members to foot the bill whenever they lose a court case.

If left unchecked, Syaheera said PAS members may forget how slander is a sinful act.

“PAS must remain steadfast to Islamic teachings and reject politics of slander. Its slanderous leaders must learn a lesson,” she stressed.

Echoing Syaheera’s sentiment, Housing and Local Government Minister Nga Kor Ming said he was puzzled over the whole matter.

“Slander is a grave sin and disallowed in Islam. However, there is a political party riding on the religion to collect donations to protect the sin of slander.

“I’m puzzled. What is your comment?” he asked on X.

Don’t misuse ‘jihad’ word

Meanwhile, a PKR leader has slammed PAS for allegedly misusing the term “jihad” for its donation drive.

“Never use the word ‘jihad’ to defend a slanderous person,” said its director of religious understanding and strengthening unit Amidi Abdul Manan in a statement today.

He reminded PAS that the Kepala Batas lawmaker lost a suit involving slander and Islam clearly disallows its followers from such acts, adding Muslims are also barred from helping those who indulge in vices or trespass into other’s rights.

“Slander is bad and can create enmity. It can also bring dishonour to those affected. Is this what PAS calls ‘jihad’?

“It’s better for them to call it ‘donation drive to save the Kepala Batas seat’,” Amidi said.

PAS allegedly seeking donations to help Siti Mastura pay RM825k to DAP

LETTER | Siti Mastura's remarks not stupidity but political strategy

COMMENT | Siti Mastura a victim of M'sian education system

'Let me study judgment first', PAS MP says after losing DAP trio's suit

PAS MP loses defamation case for claiming DAP trio related to Chin Peng