Amanah machinery used Timah race-baiting to attack PAS

Amanah machinery used Timah race-baiting to attack PAS

Controversy over local whiskey brand Timah has largely focused on claims by right-wing and conservative groups that the brand insults Islam or confuses Muslims.

However, Amanah, which is deemed a progressive Islamic party, has also perpetuated the Timah race-baiting in an effort to attack its rival PAS - a tactic the latter has caught on to.

Many of the attacks against PAS, including from Amanah's Shah Alam MP Khalid Samad, do not appear insidious as they focus on painting PAS as a hypocrite.

"The world would be upside down if this happened during Pakatan Harapan's tenure," Khalid was quoted as saying by Malaysia Dateline.

However, the Amanah machinery has not shied away from race-baiting narratives peddled by right-wing and conservative elements around the name Timah.

This includes the party's official Facebook, which posted a news bulletin-style video regarding Timah on Oct 16.

The caption for the video states that "PAS is being criticised again for being silent on the issue of an alcohol brand that uses a Malay Muslim name". The video also made a similar claim.

Malaysia Dateline - a portal closely linked to Amanah - also published an article on Oct 15 claiming that the name Timah is a derivative of Prophet Muhammad's daughter Fatimah.



Such claims were also made on the Facebook page of the Kelantan Amanah Youth.

While subsequent postings on Amanah's main Facebook and Malaysia Dateline have mentioned that Timah is based on the Malay word for tin, as claimed by its producer Winepak, elements of race-baiting are still present in their remarks.

A video posted on Amanah's Facebook yesterday carried claims by critics of Timah who also perpetuate race-baiting, such as by Majlis Perundingan Pertubuhan Islam Malaysia (Mapim), which said the brand was meant to provoke Malay Muslims.

Insensitive to Muslims

Amanah vice-president Mahfuz Omar said branding an alcoholic beverage as Timah was insensitive to Muslims.

"Even though the company says it is linked to Timah, it is very sensitive when the Timah brand is used because it has links to Muslims, the Prophet (Muhammad's) daughter Fatimah, and also Malays who are named Fatimah and are called Timah (as a pet name)," Mahfuz said during an online talk show on Sunday.

He said the government should have blocked the name from being approved.



Amanah vice-president Mahfuz Omar

Having an award-winning whiskey was also not something the country should be proud of or promote, he added.

When contacted, Mahfuz clarified that the ones who are insensitive are the government and their agencies which approved the Timah brand name for registration.

"It is not the fault of the producer, but when they registered it the government should have been sensitive enough to reject it and explain why," he told Malaysiakini.

Mahfuz also said that he did not view the name as an insult to Islam personally, but acknowledged that some Muslims are disturbed by it and therefore a different name should be used.

Malaysiakini has contacted Khalid - who is the Amanah communications director - for comment.

'Muslims should not be offended'

Former Umno MP Tawfik Ismail when contacted said it was unbecoming for any party to engage in race-baiting.

He also said that Muslims should not be offended by the branding of alcohol.



Former Umno MP Tawfik Ismail

"For a devout Muslim who doesn’t drink, the brand issue shouldn’t arise because it’s alcohol, whatever the name.

"For a modern Muslim, the difference between Anchor beer and root beer is clear," Tawfik added.

Calls to rise above race-baiting

Muda pro-tem vice-president Dr Thanussha Xavier said politicians must not stoop to race-baiting.

"Politics definitely must rise above race-baiting if we truly want to live in racial harmony and have hope of any kind of progress for our nation.

"We need more political maturity We should not be misled by hyped racial and religious issues that are intentionally played to divide us," she told Malaysiakini.

Khalid, while commenting on Timah on Oct 19, said that Malays still used political sentiments instead of concentrating on delivering results.

“People play with sentiments, emotions to heat things up, but in the end, there are no results, no substance. Even what they want is not clear,” he was quoted as saying by Malaysia Dateline.

The Amanah MP also reportedly said that he hoped Malays would be politically wiser and not be easily influenced by those playing up such sentiments.

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kt notes:

Whether it's PAS or Amanah who plays the dirty race-religion-baiting game, it's Malaysian society that suffers. This is why religion and race should not be allowed in politics.

The irony is that in the end Islam gets the bad name. I wonder how Allah swt is feeling right now about the two Islamic parties eff-ing each other to see who can better blame the Chinese, not for the greater glory of Allah swt or Islam but for their own political gains. What eff-up so-called Islamic political parties.