Malaysian police probe PAS chief and DAP chairman over alleged racial and religious remarks

KUALA LUMPUR: Parti Islam Se-Malaysia (PAS) chief Abdul Hadi Awang and Democratic Action Party (DAP) chairman Lim Guan Eng are under investigation after allegedly making remarks on race and religion, according to the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM). 

In a statement on Monday (Jul 10), PDRM Criminal Investigation Department deputy director Suresh Kumar G. Suppiah confirmed that Mr Abdul Hadi is under investigation for making statements allegedly touching on race, religion and royalty - popularly known as 3R.  

“(Mr Abdul Hadi claimed that DAP) wants to retain the meaning of Islam in the Federal Constitution based on the interpretation of colonialists which upholds liberalism and freedoms practised by Western countries,” said Mr Suresh. 

He added that the investigation is still in progress and advised the public against making any speculation that could interfere with the investigation. 

In a Facebook post last Saturday, Mr Abdul Hadi said that the word ‘Islam’ in the Federal Constitution should be “translated from the language of the Quran which rejects the concept of secularism which is a colonial practice”. 

“However, the DAP wants to maintain the meaning of Islam according to the colonialist mould in its struggle, in line with the DAP Constitution,” he said. 

He added that PAS responds to “the problem of the Federal Constitution (interfering) with the perfect implementation of Islamic Syariah” by taking the approach of implementing Islamic rules in stages. He noted that the DAP has made statements in the past against such attempts by the Islamist party. 

A recent study found that PAS played up racial rhetoric the most during the 15th General Election (GE15) in November last year. 

The report, published by Malaysia’s Centre for Independent Journalism (CIJ), said PAS and Mr Abdul Hadi were the “biggest amplifiers of race”.

For example, the report pointed out that Mr Abdul Hadi’s TikTok post claiming that PH’s Chinese-based DAP was merely using Malay candidates to gain voter traction racked up 2.5 million engagement counts - the highest across all social media platforms.

Meanwhile, in a separate statement on Sunday, Mr Suresh confirmed that an investigation is underway against the DAP chairman. 

“PDRM confirms that it has received several police reports and is conducting an investigation against Lim Guan Eng relating to statements believed to touch on the 3R issues … by alleging that the green wave will destroy temples and deny religious rights in Penang,” he said.

He added that the statement was believed to have been made by Mr Lim last Friday in a speech during the 'Tian Fu Gong Bai Long Wang Singapore-Malaysia Tour 2023' event in Jelutong, Penang. 

In a Facebook post last Sunday, Mr Lim explained that he was referencing a case of a Hindu temple being demolished in 2020 in Kedah. The state government then was led by PAS. 

Last Monday, Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Razarudin Husain warned political parties that stern action will be taken against those playing up sensitive issues, especially on the 3R, during the election campaign for the upcoming state polls. 

This is to avoid tension and fears that can disrupt harmony among the people, he said. 

"We have observed that each time the 3R (issue) is raised, there will be disunity and disharmony among the community. After all, I believe that all those who will be contesting are seasoned politicians.

"We want the state elections to run smoothly and peacefully so that voters can go out safely to cast their votes," he was quoted by Bernama as telling reporters. 

Polling for the upcoming six state elections will take place on Aug 12. The states holding elections are Kedah, Kelantan, Terengganu, Penang, Selangor and Negeri Sembilan.