KUALA LUMPUR, July 12 — Perikatan Nasional (PN) election director Datuk Seri Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor has claimed that more non-Muslims get arrested for offering and receiving bribes compared to Muslims.

The PAS politician and caretaker Kedah menteri besar asserted that he was speaking the truth and that it was based on facts, but it is unclear if he provided the source of his information.

He also claimed it was the DAP that started the non-Muslim versus Muslim debate by alleging that there were Malay leaders involved in corruption.

He added that this led PAS president Tan Sri Abdul Hadi Awang to correct the narrative by saying that the non-Muslims and non-Bumiputera are the cause of corruption in Malaysia.

"I agree with Tok Guru. As long as I am right, I will speak. Go look at the records of people arrested for offering and receiving bribes, there are many who are non-Muslims. That is a fact and true,” he said in last night’s Keluar Sekejap podcast with hosts Khairy Jamaluddin and Shahril Hamdan.

He recalled the DAP pushing a narrative last year through a series of statements alleging that "Malay leaders are corrupt. All these Malay leaders cannot be trusted”.

"They say it is better to have a good non-Muslim than a Muslim leader who is not good because of corruption. But when you look at the facts, many who were arrested were non-Muslims,” Muhammad Sanusi said.

He was also asked about PN’s strategy to win over non-Malay voters in the upcoming state elections and replied that the coalition will focus on harmonious politics.

Muhammad Sanusi said that having a line-up of good Malay and Muslim candidates would garner PN the non-Muslim and non-Malay votes.

"PN still brings a harmonious politics. I think when Malaysia votes, if we are not influenced by extreme politics, scaring non-Muslims to Islam and to Muslim figures who are portrayed as extreme. Chinese and Indians can still support PN without any problem.

"But that’s the background of Malaysian politics. If you want to win Malay votes then you need to have a Malay candidate and if you want to win Chinese votes then you have to go and look for Chinese candidates. That's the political division based on race in Malaysia that we can't avoid.

"I think people have more faith in good Muslim Malays, who do not cause any controversy. They are not cruel. This is what we offer,” he said.