Kepong MP Lim Lip Eng has called for the arrest of PAS lawmaker Ahmad Marzuk Shaary (PN–Pengkalan Chepa), accusing him of spreading dangerous and inflammatory claims that could incite hatred among Malaysians.
Speaking in the Dewan Rakyat during the debate on the Supply (Budget) Bill 2025, Lim urged the government and police to act swiftly against the PAS MP for his recent Facebook post suggesting that non-Malay and non-Muslim Malaysians harbour malicious intentions toward the Malay and Muslim community.
“I want the government to call upon the police to investigate, and if they can, arrest that MP,” Lim declared. “Such rhetoric is not only false, but it is also seditious. It poisons the minds of Malaysians and undermines our national unity.”
Lim, however, is not the only one sounding the alarm. Another DAP MP, Bangi’s Syahredzan Johan, has also condemned Marzuk’s remarks — describing them as divisive, irresponsible, and an insult to the spirit of Malaysian nationhood.
Syahredzan: “This Kind of Fearmongering is Dangerous”
In a Facebook post, Syahredzan slammed Ahmad Marzuk for portraying non-Malays and non-Muslims as “enemies within” — citizens who supposedly threaten the position of Malays and Muslims in the country.
Marzuk had claimed that non-Malays and non-Muslims were increasingly dominating key sectors in Malaysia, warning that the country could face the same fate as Palestine. He likened the situation to that of Jewish immigrants who were initially welcomed to Palestine but later gained control over its economy, politics, and land, displacing the native population.
Syahredzan, who is also a lawyer and DAP vice-chairman, said such a comparison was reckless and deeply insulting.
“What the PAS leader implied is clear — that Malays and Muslims could suffer the same fate as Palestinians if they are not vigilant,” he said. “This kind of fearmongering is not only untrue, it is dangerous.”
He added that PAS’s narrative undermines the very foundations of Malaysia’s multiracial harmony.
“Comparing non-Malay and non-Muslim Malaysians with Israel’s actions in Palestine is excessive and unacceptable,” Syahredzan said. “Non-Malays and non-Muslims have stood shoulder to shoulder with Malays and Muslims in building this country. Ahmad Marzuk has no right to question their sincerity for his own political gain.”
He also urged Perikatan Nasional (PN) and its affiliates in the Ikatan Prihatin Rakyat (IPR) coalition to make their stance clear.
“If PN truly believes in unity, they must either support or reject Marzuk’s statements openly. Silence is not neutrality — it is complicity,” he said.
Syahredzan’s criticism reflects growing frustration among government MPs that PAS continues to resort to racial and religious rhetoric rather than engage in substantive policy debates. “Malaysians who love this multiracial nation must reject such outdated and regressive politics,” he wrote.
Lim Lip Eng: “Seditious and Divisive”
Lim Lip Eng’s intervention in Parliament was the sharpest yet. The Kepong MP said Ahmad Marzuk’s comments were not just insensitive but potentially criminal under Malaysia’s laws against incitement and sedition.
“Such words can tear apart the social fabric we’ve worked so hard to maintain,” Lim warned. “They create suspicion where there should be trust and hostility where there should be understanding.”
Lim also took aim at what he described as PAS’s moral policing of the country, highlighting the party’s repeated demands to stop Malaysia Airlines from serving alcohol on its flights.
“Non-Muslims have the right to consume alcohol,” Lim said. “Even airlines from the Gulf — which are far more conservative than us — serve alcohol on board. If PAS disagrees, I suggest they start their own airline. Call it PAS Airlines.”
Earlier this month, Hulu Selangor MP Hasnizan Harun (PAS) urged the transport ministry to ban alcohol on MAS flights, claiming it was against Islamic principles and made Muslim flight attendants uncomfortable. Similar demands were made in 2017 by then PAS Youth deputy chief Ahmad Fadhli Shaari.
For Lim, such actions reflect PAS’s obsession with controlling the behaviour of others rather than governing with fairness and reason.
“Instead of improving the economy or helping Malaysians cope with inflation, PAS seems fixated on telling people what they can drink or say,” Lim remarked.
A Disturbing Political Trend
Both Syahredzan and Lim’s statements point to a larger concern — the normalisation of race-based fear narratives in Malaysian politics.
By invoking the imagery of Palestine and framing non-Malay citizens as potential oppressors, PAS leaders are tapping into deep emotional fears within their voter base. But critics warn that such narratives not only distort reality — they also endanger the fragile trust that holds Malaysia’s multicultural society together.
Political analysts say the episode is symptomatic of a broader strategy: PAS’s attempt to entrench itself as the moral guardian of the Malay-Muslim community by painting others as threats.
However, as Syahredzan and Lim both argue, this approach comes at a great cost.
“Malaysia cannot be built on fear,” Syahredzan said. “It must be built on cooperation, trust, and mutual respect.”
Lim echoed that sentiment in the Dewan Rakyat: “If PAS truly believes in Islam’s principles of justice and compassion, it should begin by respecting others who are different, not treating them as enemies.”
Unity Under Threat
As calls grow for the authorities to investigate Ahmad Marzuk’s remarks, the issue is quickly becoming a test of political will — both for the government and for Perikatan Nasional.
Whether firm action is taken or not, this episode has once again revealed the fault lines that run deep through Malaysian politics — between those who seek unity in diversity, and those who thrive on division.
For DAP’s Lim Lip Eng and Syahredzan Johan, the message is clear: the line between free speech and hate speech has been crossed, and Malaysia cannot afford to look away.
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