If we elect the same corrupt politicians every time, that’s an obvious message that we don’t want a change.
– Sukant Ratnakar, Indian author
At times, I’m truly amazed at how hollow and stupid some political leaders would become in their attempts to justify the unjustifiable.
This past week, PAS president Tan Sri Abdul Hadi Awang has come under the radar of many for yet another of his “out of this world” remark.
He confirmed that his party did distribute cash to voters during the 15th general election (GE15) but claimed that it was not against election rules as the money was distributed for “charity”.
Hadi further alleged that existing rules only prohibited contesting candidates and their representatives from giving cash to voters.
I, for one, am hardly surprised that another silly and unjustifiable statement has come out of Hadi’s mouth. For a man who had declared that corruption is not wrong in Islam, the PAS leader has attempted yet again to justify his one-man view on corruption. As far as I can remember, Hadi is the only Muslim politician who had claimed that corruption is permitted in the Islam he professes.
So, it was okay for cash handouts during elections, according to Hadi. He explained that was an act of charity. Oh, really?
I would suggest to Hadi to ask one of the madrasah kids whether corruption, meaning abusing your power and taking money which is not yours to take, is okay. The little boy’s answer should put the powerful tok guru to shame.
No, you don’t need a prime minister to tick off Hadi but Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has done so. On Monday, the PM said that the act of distributing cash to voters during elections is tantamount to corruption – not charity.
Anwar added that the practice of getting “commission” and giving “charity” in elections would harm the country and society.
I believe that Malaysians in general are hoping that the new prime minister will be successful in his anti-graft crusade – an agenda which Anwar had repeatedly mentioned since he became PM two months ago.
As part of his anti-corruption move, the prime minister recently ordered his cabinet members to go through the 2021 Auditor-General’s Report with their respective ministries and act on its recommendations.
The directive was issued to ensure all issues highlighted in the report would not be repeated, especially when involving leakages of public funds.
It is my sincere hope that all the ministers will be diligent and serious in carrying out Anwar’s instructions and that they support their boss whole-heartedly in this long overdue anti-corruption drive.
What actually prompted Hadi to say what he did on cash handouts during elections?
On Jan 3, the Terengganu Umno liaison body filed election petitions to annul the results of the recent general election for the Kuala Terengganu, Marang and Kemaman parliamentary constituencies.
Terengganu Umno chief Ahmad Said said the petition raised allegations that PAS had bribed voters by distributing financial aid from the state government through the i-Pension, i-Belia and i-Student initiatives between Nov 15 and 17, 2022 – which was just a few days before GE15.
Hadi, however, said they were merely giving “alms”, adding election laws were not violated because the cash was not distributed by the candidates or their representatives.
Not surprisingly, Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi dubbed Hadi a hypocrite, as it is charity if the latter did it, but corruption if others do it. There is no love lost between the two Malay leaders ever since Zahid brought Umno into Anwar’s unity government.
But the most stinging rebuttal against the PAS president came from Umno Veterans Club secretary Mustapha Yaakub who told Hadi to repent over his remark justifying the party’s distribution of cash.
This, according to Mustapha, is because the Marang MP is notorious for allegedly using religion for political purposes.
“He once dubbed Umno as kafir (infidel) in his fatwa. Families broke up and various ‘disasters’ occurred due to Hadi’s fatwa. Thus, the (Umno) veterans are not surprised by Hadi’s latest stance regarding corruption, gift, and charity,” Mustapha said.
He then called on Hadi to refrain from issuing statements that can further damage his followers’ creed and repent immediately.
Mustapha also urged Hadi to apologise and withdraw his fatwa that called Umno ‘infidels’.
I think Mustapha spoke up for many of us who are disgusted with Hadi’s penchant for issuing controversial statements and stirring animosity and bad blood among the populace in general and the Malay community in particular.
Hadi has to learn to stop saying things which hurt the sensitivities of those who treasure harmony and tolerance in our beloved Malaysia.
The views expressed here are those of the columnist and do not necessarily represent the views of New Sarawak Tribune.
