PETALING JAYA: Dr Mahathir Mohamad shares common ground with PAS despite being at odds with the party for many years, says PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang.
Following a recent meeting with the former prime minister, Hadi described Mahathir as a statesman of great experience, having been involved in politics since before independence and holding the prime minister’s post twice.
“Although he used to be at odds with PAS, there are many commonalities that must be considered, and which we should unite over, in fulfilling our responsibility to race, religion and country,” Hadi said in a Facebook post today.
“Among our discussions (during the meeting two days ago) was the necessity for unity of the Malay-Muslims, who are the majority of the original residents of Malaysia and in this plural community.”
On Tuesday night, Hadi led PAS leaders in signing Mahathir’s “Malay Proclamation” in the presence of the former Langkawi MP to signify their support for his call for Malays to unite and “save” the community.
Others present at the meeting included PAS secretary-general Takiyuddin Hassan and vice-president Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar.
Three Bersatu leaders – deputy president Ahmad Faizal Azumu, information chief Razali Idris and Supreme Council member Iskandar Dzulkarnain Abdul Khalid – have also signed the proclamation in their personal capacities.
Mahathir and PAS used to be hostile against one another, with the former mocking the Islamic party just last September for seeking to work with Umno despite describing its members as infidels in the past.
He had also described PAS as opportunistic and willing to set aside their principles when an opportunity arises.
In 2018, Hadi claimed that interference by Mahathir’s former administration led to the failure of the PAS state government in Terengganu from 1999 to 2004.
Meanwhile, Hadi urged Malay-Muslim leaders to work on uniting the community so that political power would be placed on “the right track”, adding that this was not about being fanatical about race.
“It is a big mistake for Malay-Muslims to be divided by wrong intentions, thereby weakening the political power of Malay-Muslim, who should be leading the country,” he said.
