PETALING JAYA: Recent gaffes by PAS leaders, the latest involving Perak chief Razman Zakaria, could see the people losing confidence in the party and ultimately triggering public disgust, an analyst says.
Razman had linked DAP MP Hannah Yeoh to the Yeoh family of YTL Corporation Bhd – an error which he later acknowledged and apologised for.
Advertisement (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});However, Tawfik Yaakub of Universiti Malaya said the episode, following a court case in which another leader from the Islamic party was sued for defamation, gave the impression that PAS had failed to learn its lesson.
In that case, Kepala Batas MP Siti Mastura Muhammad was found guilty of defaming DAP leaders Lim Kit Siang and Lim Guan Eng by linking them to the late Communist Party of Malaya leader Chin Peng in her election speeches.
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In another incident, Razman had accused Teluk Intan MP and federal minister Nga Kor Ming of being involved in a parade where some participants had waved the China flag.
Advertisement (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});He apologised for his statement last month.
Tawfik said voters were growing weary of PAS leaders making baseless accusations and then apologising for them.
Advertisement (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});“And when they are sued, they are forced to solicit funds to settle the damages,” he added, referring to Siti Mastura’s case.
Mazlan Ali of Universiti Teknologi Malaysia said the failure of PAS leaders to fact-check their remarks also affected the party’s image.
“Coming from a party that champions Islam, PAS leaders should verify information before making claims,” he said.
“Failure to do so could taint PAS’s public image.”
