PAS ‘different’ now for turning to non-Muslim voters? Takiyuddin says only impossible to work with 'extremists'

SHAH ALAM, Oct 21 — PAS secretary-general Datuk Seri Takiyuddin Hassan has today slammed criticism towards president Tan Sri Abdul Hadi Awang’s attempt to court non-Muslim voters.

Addressing the accusation as hypocrisy from PKR vice-president Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad, Takiyuddin insisted the party has no issue with non-Muslims who do not hold “extreme views”.

“We have no issues with non-Muslims who are not extreme. For those who hold extreme views, cooperating with them is not possible.

“For example, political parties that hold extreme views towards Islam and the Malay community, how can we cooperate with them? It’s not possible,” he said during the press conference at the sidelines of PAS’ 69th Muktamar or annual congress here.

He added that the Perikatan Nasional (PN) coalition used to have many collaborations with non-Muslim communities, such as the Chinese Consultative Council (CCC), while PAS had good relationships with parties like MCA and MIC within Barisan Nasional.

“I believe it’s not right to say that what we said before is different from what we say now. Those who say such things belong to a different party, and it’s not just oral statements but also documented.

“They say different things in the manifesto but when they come into power, they don’t implement what they promised. That’s a different party,” he said.

Yesterday, Abdul Hadi conceded that PAS remains a party alien to minority communities and pledged to be “fair” to all, in a speech delivered at its first muktamar since the general and state elections that saw PN sweeping four states despite enjoying barely any support from followers of different faiths.

He said ethnic minority distrust of the Islamist party was one of the key factors blocking the party’s ambition to wrest federal power, which he suggested was within grasp.

Over the years, PAS had attempted to get non-Muslim backing by forming a non-voting Supporters’ Congress, and attempted to paint DAP as “extremists” in support of secularism and Islamophobia.

Nik Nazmi criticised Abdul Hadi’s remarks as hypocrisy, as the latter is now willing to court the votes of a group that was previously labelled as detrimental to the country.

Today, DAP’s Lim Lip Eng also highlighted how Abdul Hadi had previously said non-Muslims were the “roots of corruption”, and PAS lawmaker keep calling the community “kafir” or “infidels”.