JOHOR BAHRU, September 4 – The Government of Unity will not compromise with any party attempting to incite the people, leading to divisions among the races. Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, stated that he is open to criticism but vehemently opposes any attempts to incite the people, causing conflicts in the multiracial society of the country. I disagree with the Sedition Act being applied to those who criticize the Prime Minister and the government, but we will not compromise if someone tries to incite or spread false accusations that touch on the issues of the 3R (Ruler, Race, Religion)… let the police take action.
“You can criticize anything and anyone… but if you use sentiments, incite Malays to hate the Chinese, or use religion to accuse others of being infidels… I want to make it clear that I will not compromise,” he said. He made this statement during his speech at the Mega Unity Civic Talk for the Pulai Parliamentary By-Election in Taman Uda Utama, Perling, on Sunday night. The event was also attended by Amanah President, Datuk Seri Mohamad Sabu, Johor Chief Minister, Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi, and the PH candidate for the Pulai Parliamentary seat, Suhaizan Kaiat.
Anwar, who is also the Chairman of PH, stressed that the people must reject those who only use politics of hatred and extremism. He mentioned that they are using sentiments that allegedly claim that DAP obstructs the Unity Government from helping the people, especially the Malays, even though the party has always supported all initiatives for the people regardless of their race. “DAP, together with PH, if DAP opposes the Federal Constitution, we will fight against it, if they do not accept Islam as the religion of the Federation, we will oppose it… but on the contrary, they accept it,” he said.
The Prime Minister also stated that the Unity Government will continue to govern the country based on the Maqasid Syariah (Islamic jurisprudence objectives) economy to safeguard the welfare of the people, even if the initiatives introduced are rejected or ridiculed by the opposition. “Because we introduced this change (policy and people’s assistance initiatives), they (the opposition) cannot stand it… they can continue to dream of taking over the Federal Government while the Unity Government continues to work to save the country and the people based on the Maqasid Syariah economy,” he said.
Anwar also gave an assurance that the Unity Government will continue to stand for the next term based on economic performance and new foreign investments entering the country. He said that the success achieved within more than eight months of the formation of the Unity Government is the result of the collective efforts of all parties in the government. The Pulai Parliamentary By-Election and the Simpang Jeram State Legislative Assembly By-Election were held following the unexpected vacancies caused by the passing of the incumbent Datuk Seri Salahuddin Ayub, who was also the Minister of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs, on July 23.
