Pakatan pushes back against ‘sole voice’ claim for Malay-Muslims
SEREMBAN, July 23 — Pakatan Harapan (PH) has rejected claims that only one political bloc represents the Malay-Muslim community, describing such a narrative as inconsistent with Malaysia’s multicultural reality.
PH communications director Datuk Seri Fahmi Fadzil said attempts to portray a single group as the sole representative of Malay-Muslims during the Negeri Sembilan state election campaign were inaccurate, pointing out that PH also has many Malay-Muslim leaders.
“Recently, some leaders have created the impression that only one group can claim to represent Malay-Muslims. Is Khalid Abdul Samad not a Malay-Muslim? Am I not a Malay-Muslim?
“Such exclusive politics does not reflect the country’s diversity and pluralism. Instead, it only creates unhealthy divisions,” he told a press conference today, which was also attended by Khalid, who is Amanah communications director.
Also present was Negeri Sembilan DAP secretary Cha Kee Chin.
Fahmi, who is also PKR information chief and Communications Minister, said PH would continue engaging voters to demonstrate that Malay-Muslims are not sidelined under the coalition’s administration.
“For Pakatan Harapan, we take this matter seriously and will work harder to engage voters and help them understand that Malay-Muslims are not marginalised within PH,” he said.
He said the Negeri Sembilan administration under Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Aminuddin Harun had disproved such claims, citing an increase in the number of mosques built and zakat collections, which have risen by nearly two-and-a-half times compared with the previous administration.
“These achievements show that the Pakatan Harapan administration, and the Unity Government in Negeri Sembilan, has not neglected the interests of the Malay-Muslim community,” he said.
Meanwhile, Khalid questioned the Perpaduan Ummah (Unity of Ummah) narrative bandied about by Barisan Nasional (BN) and Perikatan Nasional (PN), asking whether the call for unity was genuinely based on righteousness and the common good or driven by political interests.
He said PH instead advocates unity founded on shared values and the common good, bringing together all Malaysians regardless of race.
“We want Malays to unite, Chinese to unite, Indians to unite and all Malaysians to stand together, not based on ethnic chauvinism, but in pursuit of goodness and righteousness,” he said.
The early voting for the Negeri Sembilan state election has been set for July 28, with polling day on Aug.
