Mat Sabu: Amanah all for a progressive and inclusive ideology

PETALING JAYA: Racial discrimination and the ideology of a “superior race” have no place in Amanah, says party president Datuk Seri Mohamad Sabu (pic).

He said the party did not abide by the brand of identity politics espoused by the opposition Perikatan Nasional which propagated fear that Malays and Islam were under threat.

This holier-than-thou attitude by certain parties championing Islam should not be allowed, he said in his presidential speech at the two-day Amanah national convention held in Klang, Selangor, beginning yesterday.

Mohamad said Amanah was against the concept of “ketuanan kaum’’ (racial superiority), adding that the party also rejected the discrimination of minority races.

“Identity politics must be opposed by Amanah as it takes the approach of fear-mongering among the Malays and Muslims that Islam is allegedly threatened and the Malays are sidelined,” he said.

He said that the extreme practices of religion and racial politics would mean that Malaysia’s cultural and racial diversity would be “forgotten”.

Such identity politics, he said, was toxic and extreme.

“Religion and ethnicity are two identities which can easily be abused and used as political capital, which will lead to ‘takfiri’ (Muslim calling another believer an apostate) or a political party to regard their opponent to be non-believers or ‘less Muslim’ than them,” he said.

He said Amanah would champion a progressive and inclusive ideology in accordance with the Federal Constitution and the basic tenets of the Pakatan Harapan charter.

Mohamad also urged the party not to lose its moral compass.

Amanah, which is part of the Pakatan ruling coalition, is a breakaway party from PAS after a group led by Mohamad left the Islamist party in 2015 following political differences.