With the dates of GE 13 not yet decided, PAS has been criticised for trying to politicise the Haj issue.
The party has reportedly called on its supporters to postpone their Haj pilgrimage if the election is scheduled between the middle of August and the last week of October.
Umno parliamentarians have advised PAS not to manipulate the minds of Muslim voters by politicising the issue.
They were responding to the demand by PAS leaders that elections should not be held during the pilgrimage season.
Umno MPs said that the timing of the elections was the prerogative of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, and that PAS should not politicise a religious matter to gain voter sympathy.
Puteri Umno chief Rosnah Abdul Rashid Shirlin said that PAS’ actions were a “cheap way to gain sympathy votes”.
“They are using this to gain more support. The Haj issue has political connotations and in this respect they are manipulating the minds of the Muslims,” she was quoted by Free Malaysia Today.
She pointed out that Najib would decide the election date keeping all factors in mind, as he is “wise enough to decide what’s the best for the country”.
“And besides, he still has until next year to call for election,” she said.
Lenggong MP, Shamsul Anuar Nasarah agreed. “Who said that the election will be during the Haj period?” he asked.
He said that all Muslims performed Haj, not just PAS supporters.
“I’m sure there are more Umno members performing the Haj,” he said.
Meanwhile, Deputy Higher Education Minister Saifuddin Abdullah said that all Umno members within his division were carrying on with their Haj plans.
Pushed on the defensive, PAS vice-president Salahuddin Ayub claimed that his party only wanted to put voters’ minds at ease.
“We just want a guarantee so that all Muslims regardless of whether they are from PAS or Umno can perform their religious duty without having to worry ceaselessly about the election,” he claimed.
PAS’ attempt to appeal to religious emotions has therefore fallen flat, with the party only succeeding at making a mountain out of a molehill.
It is obvious to everyone that the Prime Minister will keep the pilgrimage season in mind when deciding the GE 13 dates. After all, 20,000 to 30,000 Muslims are planning to perform the Haj this year.
Unlike PAS, Najib is not likely to demand that Malaysians choose between their religious duty and their national duty.
0 comments:
Post a Comment