Kota Kinabalu: Prof Dr Mohd Tajuddin Mohd Rasdi (pic), the author of “Resetting Malaysia – Education, Faith and Society,” said he became a PAS member when the public were not allowed to buy, read, write letters and articles to opposition newspapers, if not members.

“At one time, the sale of ‘Harakah’ daily (a newspaper published by PAS) was very high. Mahathir (the then Prime Minister) was very angry, and said, ‘civil servants are not allowed to write (for opposition media), unless you are a member’ so I became a member-lah.”

The Professor of Architecture, Tan Sri Omar Centre for Science, Technology, and Innovation Policy Studies, UCSI University Malaysia chose to launch his book in Sabah first on March 20, before the scheduled launching in peninsula after Hari Raya, as Sabah is a model society of harmonious diversity.