KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 8 — The government must take action against PAS president Tan Sri Abdul Hadi Awang over his accusation that non-Muslims and non-Bumiputera are the “roots of corruption” in the country, said DAP national chairman Lim Guan Eng.
Lim stressed that this must be done as Hadi’s racial remarks pose a “clear and present danger” to the unity between Malaysians, while at the same time, sending a clear message that corruption is colour- and religion-blind.
“The government must take action against Abdul Hadi Awang to prove that corruption is colour-blind and disprove his racist and extremist remarks non-Bumis and non-Muslims are the root of corruption in Malaysia.
“To date, the PAS president has remained unrepentant and unashamed that he poses a clear and present danger to Malaysian unity and national integration between Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah and Sarawak,” he said in a statement today.
The Bagan MP then questioned if Putrajaya was going to give Hadi immunity from the investigations against him, seeing that he is part of the government.
He then lambasted PAS Central Committee member Mohd Zuhdi Marzuki for defending his president’s racial views, adding that the information provided by Zuhdi in his defence only further provided “a disturbing racial and extremist bias that is wrong and dishonest”, even if the information was accurate.
Zuhdi yesterday cited a survey which found that between 2010 and 2014, 88 per cent of 449 people who were convicted of giving bribes were non-Malays.
Writing on his Facebook page as well as in PAS mouthpiece Harakah Daily, Zuhdi said that of the total percentage, 57.46 per cent were Chinese, 30.51 per cent were Indians and 12.03 per cent were Malays — while it also showed that Malays were the majority when it came to receiving bribes.
To this, Lim said that the onus of blame and responsibility fell on the receiver of the bribe, as the receiver can refuse it and report it to the relevant authorities instead — leading to no corruption.
“By blaming those who give bribes as causing corruption ignores the fact that those who receive bribes may have compelled the giver to do so.
“Clearly, Zuhdi is just as racist and extremist as Abdul Hadi. Zuhdi had previously lied about PH surrounding themselves with those involved in the ‘sin industry’ and ‘black economy’ — who tend to engage in corruption.
“Zuhdi further claimed again without any evidence to back him up, that those in these two areas of the economy sought the protection of ‘non-Bumiputera political parties’ to keep their ill-gotten gains,” he said.
Hadi sparked national uproar for a statement posted on his official Facebook page on August 20 in which he said corruption stemmed from those who reaped profit through illegal means, adding that the majority of those involved in ruining the country’s politics and economy were non-Muslims and non-Bumiputera.
He said it had reached a point that “these people” ended up controlling the country’s economy and using their money to taint politics, the administration and judiciary.
Hadi gave his statement to police after 28 reports were lodged against him for his statement, but he remains unapologetic, saying he was ready to be charged in court.
The Marang MP is under investigation for incitement and abuse of network facilities.
