Terengganu Pakatan Harapan chairperson Raja Kamarul Bahrin Shah Raja Ahmad has alleged that PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang has committed treason by insulting the institution of Malay rulers.
He called on the authorities to investigate Hadi’s statement, which he also claimed was seditious.
Raja Kamarul said that those who were unable to govern well are disrespecting the Malay rulers out of lust to remain in power.
“Those who supposedly once established a Malay-Islam government in Malaysia should mirror all the good of being Malay and Muslim.
It has been convenient for PH as the winning party, once the Agong fulfilled his role and called their leader to form a government, to bandy about talk of the Agong’s ‘decree’, duties of obedience, and now it seems of ‘treason’ and ‘sedition’ on the part of those who have been bad losers – like Hadi Awang.
Of course, the old political cleric has been behaving more like a small child who lost at a party game than a mature leader concerned about the good governance of his nation, let alone a worthy man of religion.
He is indeed a menace to the nation, having darkly hinted at disturbances and retribution (apparently to be meted out by God). Hence, the rightful concerns about sedition on the part of those who left PAS when Hadi’s faction took over the movement (with a nice dollop of assistance from his UMNO friends at the time).
Hadi is a man who has incited riots and caused innocent folk to die in the past, all in service of his personal ambitions which he likes to cloak in the name of God. He is dangerous.
However, so is the bandying about of accusations of sedition and calls for punishments over ‘disrespect’ to royalty. Democracies have to be tolerant of criticism of those in high places and of opposing views, complaints and so forth.
The past Harapan government saw a welcome respite from the hounding of dissent, which immediately returned with the coup coalition of which Hadi was a part.
Hadi is indeed quite capable of leading riots and plotting insurrection. He has done it before. However, this is not the time to start harassing and investigating him for petulant words. He needs watched and he needs answered, but he should be judged by his actual actions.