DAP accuses PAS of dancing with extremism in backing call for non-Muslim boycott

GEORGE TOWN, Sept 3 — A PAS ulama is playing a dangerous game bordering on extremism by supporting a call to boycott buying goods from non-Muslims, Lim Guan Eng said today.

The DAP secretary-general was responding to former Selangor PAS deputy ulama chief Ahmad Dusuki Abdul Rani’s term of adding pahala or “divine reward” in urging Muslim Malaysians to back the boycott campaign.

“Unfortunately, the Opposition leader is willing to gamble with the country’s peace and harmony by playing such a game,” he said in a statement.

Lim, who is also finance minister, said the campaign was initiated by a racist and extremist non-governmental organisation that was senseless and expressed his regret that neither PAS nor its new ally Umno were rejecting such calls.

“This boycott of non-Bumputera products is illogical and unreasonable as it will only serve to destroy the unity of the people and consumers will stand to lose out in terms of choice to get only the best prices and quality,” he said.

He added that religions do not teach their respective followers to boycott or hate each other and that Malaysians generally did not segregate themselves along racial or religious lines.

“Religion does not teach us to be angry, to boycott each other and to hate each other due to our different races and religions, it is only the Opposition encouraging this,” he said.

The Bagan MP backed Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad for an end to such boycott calls.