PETALING JAYA: PAS president Tan Sri Abdul Hadi Awang has rejected a news report quoting him as saying that even the most wicked Muslim ruler was not as oppressive as a non-Muslim leader, describing it as misleading and taken out of context.
In a statement dated Friday (Nov 13), the PAS president's office said his original speech was intended to explain that Islamic politics was guided by considerations of sin and reward, with the aim of ensuring just governance and protecting the rights of non-Muslim communities.
“The original speech by the PAS president was to explain that politics in Islam is based on considerations of sin and reward, which leads to just governance and guarantees the rights of non-Muslim communities,” the statement said.
The statement was issued in response to a Malaysiakini report titled “The most wicked of Muslims are not as oppressive as non-Muslims”.
Hadi's remarks were made during a campaign rally in Bukit Katil, Melaka, ahead of polling for the state election on Saturday (Nov 14).
He had urged Muslims to fulfil their responsibility to vote, saying that if they stayed away from the polls, others could become leaders and govern according to their own considerations.
The PAS president's office said it regretted the report's narrative, which it claimed could cause misunderstandings among the public.
It also rejected attempts to stir racial sentiments ahead of polling day.
