PAS president Datuk Seri Hadi Awang has denied disagreeing with the appointment of Low Siew Moi as the acting general manager of Selangor State Development Corporation (PKNS), saying his remarks had been distorted by a Malay daily.
Terengganu PAS Information Department deputy director Sazali Mat Noor said he had been instructed by Hadi to issue a clarification.
He said PAS website Harakah Daily has posted the full transcript of the press conference, held on Saturday night in Chukai near here.
Mingguan Malaysia had published Hadi’s comments on its front page yesterday quoting him as saying that he did not agree with the appointment of Low and would seek an explanation from Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) Selangor.
The report also quoted Abdul Hadi as saying that a state with a majority Malay-Muslim population should have the administration headed by (someone of) that race.
Sazali said the statement was taken out of context and the article had racial overtones.
He said there were five reporters during the press conference and those from the mainstream newspapers were from Kuantan, including the journalist from Utusan Malaysia.
He said PAS state deputy commissioner Datuk Wan Mutalib Embong was also present during the press conference.
“We recorded the full transcript of the statement,” he said here yesterday.
Sazali said several questions were posed by journalists including whether PAS was confident of winning Terengganu in the next general election, Low’s promotion, the acquittal of Abdul Razak Baginda and the party’s relationship with DAP and PKR.
However, he said Hadi only spoke lengthily on PAS’ optimism in winning Terengganu through an “honourable’’ manner.
On Low’s appointment, Sazali said Hadi had refrained from answering the question.
He said a journalist continued to ask several questions about Low’s appointment, but Hadi continued to state that he had no comment as he had just returned from an overseas trip.
Sazali said Hadi explained to the journalists that he had to “hear’’ from the Selangor government their rationale for appointing Low and repeated that he would not comment.
“In spite of this, there were still questions on Low’s appointment and Hadi said the fundamental principle of PAS, DAP and PKR was that Malay-Muslims, being the majority, would hold administrative positions but at the same time the roles and rights of other races should not be denied,” he said.
Sazali said his department will be writing a protest note to the editor of the newspaper.
Harakah Daily yesterday stated that the Malay daily had “in an irresponsible and unprofessional way manipulated the statement of the PAS president as regards Low’s appointment”.
Datuk Seri Hadi Awang refrained from making any statement on Low’s appointment. But his Selangor Commissioner did. Why did PAS not withdraw his statement?
This is a non denial.
Until then , no vote for PAS
Distortation, miscommunication, no consistency, and confusion are the denial key of most of the political expression.
But some goodness came out from PAS thru it immediate rectification of remarks by Hadi. To certain extend instill unity in the party coalition of PKR DAP and PAS.
Bravo for quick explanation before the broth become too overly cook to rectify the situation. Applaud to the PAS for strengthening back on the coalition pack manifesto and direction. Keep up to the course.
We sense there should be more communication on the ground of the coalition and to the people the grassroots leaders and respective representative to have better information and abreast in the pinnacle of bombardment by the press in it explanation and clarification of the individual party direction in accordance to general coalition manifesto vision.
Without consistency there will be fraction and division by each individual entity. Causing confusion and later wider gap of miscommunication and distrust amongst each other.
Keep up the binding and do not sleep with the enemy.
Well guys, politics is politics. so please do not ‘tarnish’ it with other perspective… or else you get screwed for nothing.
We must be mature enough to understand political news and differentiate it from the truth, or the so called freedom of press!
Keep on smiling… its because of the new propaganda for the parlimentarians : be courteous.
It seems that in, Malaysia, even after 51 years of independence, people can be considered ineligible for
employment solely because of their skin colour. It is a rarity in the modern world. Definitely, it is a case of “Malaysia Boleh !!” while others tak boleh !
Utusan again? well, PR do have the boycott campaign now so what to expect from Utusan?
This is kulitification and not qualification….
Malaysian culture…been around for long time already.
Its sad to say that every time they made a mistake, they blame the press for ‘misquoting’. This happens every time. This is especially sad when it come from a member of the opposition who have vowed to fight for JUSTICE in Malaysia.
Same old story. Same shit different day, as the saying goes.
I am so very glad I am an OVERSEAS Malaysian.