'Wow! But Hadi has his reasons' - Peja defends PAS president

'Wow! But Hadi has his reasons' - Peja defends PAS president


INTERVIEW | Amid allegations of hate speech and stirring racial unrest, Ahmad Faizal Azumu mounted a spirited defence of PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang.

Although responding with a “wow” when Malaysiakini showed him an example of Hadi’s acerbic salvo, the Bersatu deputy president, however, believed it stemmed from the Muslim cleric’s own experiences, especially with DAP.

“I am of the view that everyone has their own opinions. And their opinions are formed based on individual experiences.

“I am sure that he has a reason for why he has said those things. I myself will say that DAP sometimes acts as if it champions the issues and problems of a specific race,” he told Malaysiakini in an interview.

Faizal, who is better known as Peja, also defended Hadi’s controversial claim that non-Muslims and non-bumiputera make up the bulk of the “roots of corruption” in Malaysia.

This statement even prompted Perikatan Nasional (PN)’s more docile member Gerakan to voice its disagreement.

PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang


According to Faizal, Hadi did not intend to single out non-Muslims in general but pointed out that business owners largely consisted of non-Muslims.

“I don’t think even the non-Muslims want to be corrupt or give bribes. Nobody wants to give their money easily.

“But if that is the way to allow them to carry out their duties, reach their goals, and ease their process, they might take the shortcut method by giving bribes.

“And as we see, a large majority of businesspersons in Malaysia are dominated by non-Muslims,” he said.

When pointed out that corruption also existed in the Malay-dominated public sector, Faizal conceded. He also acknowledged that some of Hadi’s statements could be problematic but maintained that there was some basis.

“I am not qualified to give advice to Hadi, because he is a seasoned politician. He has a lot of knowledge. I am a nobody. But I think when someone like him, a seasoned politician, makes such statements we must think it through.

“The same can be said for ‘statesmen’ like Tun (Dr) Mahathir (Mohamad) and (DAP veteran) Lim Kit Siang. When they made such statements you really have to read into what they are saying.

“They are seasoned, and the way they speak is fairly different from us (new generation of politicians)” he added.

Faizal opined that differences in opinions between parties needed to be approached in a constructive manner but the sensitivities surrounding race and religion must be adhered to.

However, the former youth and sports minister admitted that PN needed to resolve the backlash to avoid being misunderstood by the public.

“I think more engagement needs to be done. I do notice that PN has not improved in understanding the people, including on what we can do for them, as well as how we can work together as one to develop Malaysia without touching on racial sensitivities,” he added.


Bersatu not ‘second fiddle’

Asked if PAS is dominating the PN narrative and reducing Bersatu and its president Muhyiddin Yassin to the role of a “second fiddle”, Faizal responded with an emphatic “no”.

“I don’t agree. I think PAS still respects Muhyiddin as PN’s chairperson.

“Before any decision is made, we always seek the advice and endorsement from PN’s supreme council, especially of its chairperson, Muhyiddin,” he said.

However, he pointed out that since PAS helmed three state governments - Kelantan, Kedah, and Terengganu - and Bersatu having none, the former had more access to the media and public.

Perikatan Nasional chairperson and Bersatu president Muhyiddin Yassin


He said Bersatu through opposition leader Hamzah Zainudin and information chief Razali Idris have also done their part in issuing statements and keeping tabs on the government.

“I don’t even think that we are the second fiddle,” he added.

On the same note, he described Bersatu’s cooperation with PAS as good, adding that both parties weighed in on policy-making decisions in Kelantan, Kedah, and Terengganu

“Any decision on policies must be made by PN. The governments in Terengganu, Kelantan, and Kedah are PN governments… we govern as a team,” he added.


Below are excerpts from the interview:


With PN’s campaign generally being very divisive along race and religion, why should non-Malays or non-Muslims cast their ballots for PN?

First of all, Malaysia has a Malay majority. So it is important to unite the Malays in the development of the country. At the moment, the sentiment on the ground is that Malays have swung into support for PN.

I believe that non-Malays should follow suit so that we can send a signal to the current leadership in the federal government to put the rakyat first, and not just tussle for power and politicking.

This is an opportunity for all the Malays, Chinese, and Indians to unite with PN to pressure the federal government to make the rakyat’s importance as their main priority.

Do you agree with racial generalisation on certain matters?

In my opinion, if someone makes a mistake it is (the mistake of) the person. When I make a mistake, Faizal is the one who is at fault, not others. That is the same with the Indians and the Chinese, it’s the person (individuals). We cannot label an entire race.

How can you neutralise statements made by PAS leaders that are considered biased or racist?

I cannot give a general comment, you have to give me a specific issue. But I think that occasionally, in any party, including in Pakatan Harapan and BN, there are differences in opinion.

These differences should be dealt with by consulting (each other), meeting, discussing. Finally, before making any statements we should think about sensitivity especially when it involves religious issues, racial issues that are very sensitive in this country.

The harmony between the races must always be strong, we must always take care of it. It doesn't matter in the end which party we are from, we cannot generalise that PAS leaders always make racist statements.

Many (similar statements) have also been made by DAP and Umno once upon a time. Such as the time when non-Malays were affected by taking out and kissing the keris. Once upon a time an Umno Youth chief named Hishammuddin was called Kerishuddin.

[Hishammuddin Hussein was accused of stirring up racial tensions when brandishing a keris during the Umno annual general assembly in 2008.]


You were once a part of Pakatan Harapan, do you think the allegation that DAP is anti-Islam holds substance?

For me, I cannot put DAP as a whole but I do see certain leaders and individuals in DAP that occasionally issue hurtful statements.

Do you have any examples?

Superman Hew (former DAP member Hew Kuan Yau)

[Hew, who is a former DAP member, was accused of threatening public order with his political speeches last year. His comic book “Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) for Win-Winism” was also banned for allegedly promoting and spreading erroneous facts about communism ideology.]

You have Gerakan as a coalition member in PN. What is their impact? Some say that they are nothing more than window dressing to give the impression that PN is multiracial.

Gerakan is on the right track. I think if given time, they will build their own narrative and recruit young leaders. In PN, we all work together as brothers and we need to carry them together first.

What kind of narrative should Gerakan build? Would it also be racial-centric?

Racial if they want to represent the Chinese community. But we must also talk about bread-and-butter issues (such as) the cost of living as well as job and business opportunities. They need to champion these issues.