Will PAS own up to Siti Mastura's slander, DAP leaders ask

Summary

• DAP leaders question if PAS will hold its Kepala Batas MP Siti Mastura Muhammad to account for defamation.

• This is after PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang recently urged the party to take responsibility for its members’ mistakes.

• DAP leaders note past instances of defamation by PAS leaders and challenged the Islamist party to walk the talk.

DAP leaders have questioned PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang’s recent call for the party to take responsibility for the mistakes of its members, particularly regarding Kepala Batas MP YB Siti Mastura Muhammad.

The party’s Kepong MP Lim Lip Eng asked if PAS would act on Hadi’s statement and hold the Kepala Batas MP accountable after she lost a defamation suit launched by three DAP leaders.

“If Hadi’s statement refers to Siti Mastura, then PAS must show its commitment by advising her to publicly apologise to the three leaders, pay the damages as ordered by the court, and disclose the amount of donations collected to ensure transparency,” Lim said in a statement.

Siti Mastura (above) was recently ordered by the court to pay RM825,000 in damages to three DAP leaders - Lim Kit Siang, Lim Guan Eng, and Teresa Kok - for defamation.

She had claimed that the three DAP leaders were linked to the late leader of the Communist Party of Malaya, Chin Peng.

‘What about other PAS leaders?’

Lim also challenged Hadi’s consistency in taking responsibility for his own controversial remarks, including blaming the non-bumiputera for corruption and labelling non-Malays as “the biggest thieves.”

He questioned if Hadi would acknowledge his own missteps and offer a public apology or if his statement was merely rhetoric.

Lim concluded by calling on PAS to lead by example, stating, “If PAS allows Siti Mastura to evade responsibility, it will only prove that the party’s rhetoric is hollow and lacks sincerity.”

DAP central executive committee (CEC) member Sheikh Umar Bagharib Ali joined the criticism, accusing PAS of normalising defamation as a political tool.

Citing past incidents, he noted that in 2016, a PAS leader apologised to DAP after falsely alleging the party would ban the Islamic call to prayer in Penang.

In 2017, the Perak PAS commissioner was ordered to pay RM200,000 to former MB Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin for defamation.

In 2020, Kok won a defamation suit against the PAS Selangor Youth chief, and in 2022, the Perak PAS commissioner was ordered to pay RM250,000 to Lim Guan Eng for similar offences.

‘Fitnah is worse than killing’

Sheikh Umar emphasised the need for PAS to reflect on its actions. 

“This is not just about fundraising to pay the fine. It’s about the moral values of a party that claims to represent Islamic principles,” he said, referencing a Quranic verse that states, “Fitnah is worse than killing” (Al-Baqarah: 191).

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

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

Puad: PAS' 'derma jihad' for Siti Mastura bid to make slander permissible

Guan Eng opposes Muhyiddin's request to postpone RM1.4m payment

Defamation appeal: Yeoh to file police report on malicious messages

IGP confirms suing Papagomo