After a senseless “slandering spree” and costly court battles… can PAS still afford to remain “unrepentant?”
It was only last week that PAS president Tuan Haji Abdul Hadi Awang had called for a review of parliamentary rules to ensure “freedom of speech” among MPs; he had claimed that the current government's action of using laws to silence members of parliament (MPs) went against the principles of democracy!
However, it is believed that the stricter rules were imperative to ensure that MPs, particularly those from the opposition bloc, did not misuse the parliamentary immunity granted to them by spewing falsehood.
Surprisingly, a few days later, its deputy president Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man, on a rather less aggressive note, had called on party leaders to “verify their facts” first before making public statements to prevent defamation suits and safeguard the party’s reputation.
But why only now…?
He had reportedly said that all leaders and members must exercise caution to preserve the party’s image and defend the integrity of its leadership.
It would appear that since the unity government was formed in 2022, the Islamist party has been embroiled in a string of damaging defamation suits while drawing criticisms over misinformation; so much so, Tuan Ibrahim had warned that statements made by its leaders albeit in a personal capacity could still affect the party due to the positions they hold.
Perhaps, one of those personalities whom Tuan Ibrahim might have had in mind is the party's controversial Perak Commissioner Razman Zakaria who last year had wrongly linked Housing and Local Government Minister Nga Kor Ming to the waving of Chinese national flags in a cultural festival in Teluk Intan; fortunately, he had subsequently apologised to the DAP leader.
In fact, back in 2022, Razman was actually sued over a claim that Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim had condoned LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender) practices; however, the suit was settled in February 2023 after the PAS leader had apologised in court.
Then, more recently, the same PAS leader had to apologise to DAP MP Hannah Yeoh for linking her to the wealthy Yeoh family of the YTL Corporation Bhd conglomerate; this had prompted the latter to sue the Gunong Semanggol assemblyman, for claiming that she was the “daughter of a rich man” and a “daughter of YTL”.
Meanwhile, last year, another PAS leader Siti Mastura, the Kepala Batas MP had hogged the headlines after claiming that DAP veterans Lim Kit Siang, Lim Guan Eng, and Teresa Kok were related to the late Communist Party of Malaya leader Chin Peng!
It proved to be a hugely costly affair after the High Court had ordered her to pay the DAP trio a total of RM750,000 in damages for defamation.
However, the party's spiritual leader Hashim Jasin then sparked a major controversy after saying that it was permissable for its members to contribute to a special “Jihad” fund to help the lawmaker settle the payment!
Religious values and good ethics “sacrificed” for the sake of politics…?
Interestingly, back in 2019, even the highly respected Sultan of Perak, Sultan Nazrin Shah, had urged accredited mosque committee members and religious speakers to relinquish their posts if they harbour “political agendas” and ambitions that will lead to the abuse of the sanctity of mosques.
Significantly, the learned Sultan had explained that when truth is sacrificed because emotions supersede rationality, slander then becomes a commonplace occurrence, practised even by those who adhere to all five pillars of Islam - the spread of which is then facilitated and promoted by social media!
“Is ‘deep state’ now involved in supporting serial slanderers…?
Sadly, it would appear that lessons were not learnt and only last Thursday (Feb 20), a clearly displeased Sultan Nazrin had ordered an immediate probe into the conduct of several officials who had allegedly refused to read out approved sermons addressing the “subject of slander” prepared by the Perak Islamic Religious Department (JAIPk); it was reported that the imams involved were from the districts of Parit Buntar, Teluk Intan, and Kuala Kangsar.
While there was no mention about the political affiliation of the rogue officials who were now under investigation, the disturbing incident has appeared to have shone the spotlight on the broader issue of slander being increasingly and “wantonly” deployed by unethical politicians who manipulate religion to achieve their goals.
A warning to imams and the “ulama”…?
In conclusion, could the latest events be an indication that the “red line” has been crossed so often that even the royalties have decided to put their foot down on the issue of slander? Could it also be a stern reminder to the imams and the ulama (religious scholars) that the Sultan is the head of Islam in their respective states, and that mixing religion with politics, and especially slander, will not be tolerated!
Main information source: NST, Malay Mail, Harapan Madani, FMT, The Sun and The Star
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