Mat Sabu admits Amanah yet to gain meaningful Malay support

Summary

• Amanah president Mohamad Sabu admits the party has yet to gain a good level of Malay-Muslim support but is confident its support will grow.

• However, Mohamad says the party’s win in a Kelantan state seat shows the party’s growing influence.

• Meanwhile, Amanah communications director Khalid Samad accuses PAS of adopting a “secular and extremist” brand of politics, shown by its tacit approval of one of its MPs who lost a defamation suit by senior DAP leaders.

Nearly a decade since Amanah was formed as a PAS-splinter party, the smallest Pakatan Harapan component today admitted it has yet to gain a good level of support from Malay-Muslim voters.

However, its president, Mohamad Sabu, stated that the election of Amanah’s first representative in Kelantan - Kota Lama assemblyperson Dr Hafidzah Mustakim - is expected to grow the party’s influence.

Mohamad also expressed confidence that voters’ trust in his party will increase as the 16th general election approaches.

“I admit to the perception (that Amanah struggles to attract Malay votes) and we know that, for Malays, their thinking is largely dominated by Umno and PAS.

“However, we are confident that we are growing, with our membership increasing every month. I admit the growth is not as significant as (our rivals), but it is happening. Currently, the acceptance of the people toward us in Kelantan is also quite encouraging.

“In the Nenggiri by-election, where PAS previously dominated the hardcore polling districts, we won this time, and our influence is expanding,” he said at a press conference after officiating the 2024 National Amanah Convention in Klang today.

PAS now a ‘secular, extremist’ party

Meanwhile, Amanah communications director Khalid Samad accused PAS of becoming an extremist party that promotes a secular ideology by condoning a culture of slander among its leaders.

According to Khalid, this claim was made after PAS openly defended its Kepala Batas MP, Siti Mastura Muhammad, who was ordered by the courts to pay RM830,034 to three senior DAP leaders who successfully sued her for defamation.

“Now, it is increasingly evident that PAS is an extremist party that issues misleading fatwas. I feel that, day by day, PAS’s true colours are becoming clearer.

“When PAS leaders were heavily criticised for promoting a culture of slander, they responded by issuing fatwas that secularism is a greater sin than slander, thus downplaying the gravity of slander.

“Unknowingly, they are practising secular politics. When you slander, it shows you have no fear of sin, and when you lack that fear in your politics, it means you are practising secular politics, willing to do anything to win,” he stressed.

‘Amanah guided by religious principles’

Khalid also stated that Amanah is the best choice for PAS members, as it adheres to proper religion-based politics.

He added that although PAS pretends to reject secularism, its actions reveal it is engaging in secular political practices, justifying all behaviours to gain political influence and support.

“For this reason, we believe that the Malay community will increasingly reject PAS. For those who want politics guided by true religious principles, Amanah is the best choice.

“I am confident that before GE16, support for Amanah will grow stronger, as PAS’ misleading stance and misuse of religion for political gain become clearer,” he added.

Last Thursday, Siti Mastura deposited RM830,034.75, including damages, legal fees, and interest, to the law firm representing DAP veterans Lim Kit Siang, Lim Guan Eng, and Teresa Kok following her loss in the trio’s defamation suit.

The High Court, on Dec 4 last year, ruled that Siti Mastura’s statements linking the trio with communists and Chin Peng, the former leader of the Malayan Communist Party, were defamatory and unsupported by evidence.

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