KUALA LUMPUR: A Malaysian lawmaker and a major interfaith group have criticised Islamist party Parti Islam Se-Malaysia (PAS) president Abdul Hadi Awang’s latest remarks on limiting the Cabinet roles non-Muslims could hold under a PAS-led government.
Democratic Action Party (DAP) deputy secretary-general and legal bureau chairman Ramkarpal Singh said Hadi’s proposal was divisive and unconstitutional. The Malaysian Consultative Council of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism and Taoism raised constitutional concerns over Hadi’s remarks, arguing that they point to a broader push by PAS to establish a theocratic Islamic state.
It is at least the third time in recent years the PAS president has made remarks sketching out what a PAS-led government in Malaysia would look like, and it has again triggered public reactions, which included support from a non-Muslim wing in the party.
Speaking at PAS’ annual congress in Kelantan on Sep 5, Hadi had said non-Muslims could serve as ministers under a PAS-led government, but should be limited to portfolios that oversee the implementation of government policies while Muslims would be responsible for policy formulation, according to local media reports.
Hadi reportedly cited the Works and Forestry ministries – even though Malaysia does not have a forestry ministry – as portfolios that could be headed by non-Muslims, while saying ministries such as Islamic Affairs and the implementation of syariah law must be handled by Muslims, as reported by local news site Free Malaysia Today.
“It must be a Muslim; the implementation of syariah requires a Muslim,” Hadi was reported as saying by local news outlet Focus Malaysia.
PAS is the largest single party in Malaysia’s parliament with 43 out of 222 seats and is part of the opposition Perikatan Nasional (PN) coalition.
It has recently cooperated with the Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition, which is part of Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s unity government, in the Johor and Negeri Sembilan state elections – dealing electoral setbacks to Anwar’s Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition.
