KUALA LUMPUR: Kesatuan Pondok-Pondok Kelantan (Pondok Madani) has urged all political leaders, particularly those who carry the image and name of Islam, to be more responsible when making statements.
Its chairman Baba Zulkarnain Harun said a leader’s influence came with a great responsibility, with every word having the potential to become a bridge that unites society or a spark that fuels division.
"Islam does not become stronger through slander. The Malays do not become stronger through fear. The country does not become stronger through division,” he said in a statement uploaded on Facebook on Sunday (Aug 9).
Commenting on PAS president Tan Sri Abdul Hadi Awang’s article titled ‘DAP Memimpin Pakatan Harapan (PH) Menyambung Kerja Penjajah Hapuskan Melayu Islam’, which was uploaded on Facebook, Baba Zulkarnain said Pondok Madani viewed such accusations as slander and baseless claims if they were not supported by clear and credible evidence.
He added that such statements could also create suspicion and hatred, and could potentially divide Muslims and undermine the harmony of the country’s multiracial society.
"More worryingly, such a political approach goes against the principles of Islamic law, which require justice and tabayyun (verification), and prohibit accusations without evidence,” he said.
He said the statement also reflected a misunderstanding of Malaysia’s framework of Parliamentary Democracy and Constitutional Monarchy, as well as a failure to consider ‘maslahah siyasiyyah’ (governance in the public interest) in the context of a democratic country with a multiracial and multi-religious society.
"Malaysia is not a country where any one political party can act as it pleases. The exercise of governmental power is subject to the Federal Constitution, the Royal Institution, Parliament, the law and the principles of checks and balances,” he said.
He said Islam also had a clear position through Article 3 of the Federal Constitution, while the special position of the Malays and natives of Sabah and Sarawak was protected under Article 153.
"Therefore, portraying DAP’s participation in the Unity Government as automatically enabling the party to eliminate the Malays and Islam is an inaccurate depiction of the country’s system of government.
"Moreover, the federal government today is a coalition government comprising various political parties, and every government policy must go through established administrative, legislative and institutional processes,” he said.
Baba Zulkarnain said it was time for the country’s politics to move away from politics of fear towards solutions, with political parties competing to offer the best ideas to boost the economy, reduce the cost of living, provide jobs, strengthen education, combat poverty and improve the people’s well-being. - Bernama
