SUNGAI PETANI, Sept 2 — PAS Supporters’ Congress (DHPP) today defended Tan Sri Abdul Hadi Awang’s remark accusing non-Muslims of being the bulk of “roots of corruption”, claiming the latter was misunderstood.
The non-Muslim wing chief N. Balasubramaniam said he had sought Abdul Hadi the day after the statement was released, and the Islamist party president said his remark was against non-Muslims who make up the bulk of the “rich and famous”.
“The hadith said that if we need to punish a crime, we need to know the wrongdoings,” he said, referring to the collected sayings of Prophet Muhammad.
“So if there is a corruption case why do we only punish those who receive but not the one who bribe? “Who are the one who give bribes? That’s what he meant. Why do we leave them out? And now those people who gives bribes are the rich ones. That’s what was said,” he told reporters after the launching of DHPP Convention here today.
DHPP youth chief B. Balendran echoed the same sentiment adding that the report of Hadi’s statement is not accurate and that the statement should be looked as a whole.
“The text is long. The ones he meant are just some people. Don’t misread his statement.
“It needed to be read in the whole context. What was reported maybe inaccurate as it need to be seen as a whole,” he said.
Like Abdul Hadi, both of them did not provide any proof for their accusations against the non-Muslims.
In a speech on August 20, Hadi had said corruption stemmed from those who reaped profit through illegal means. He said the majority of those involved in ruining the country’s politics and economy were non-Muslims and non-Bumiputera.
He said it had reached a point that “these people” ended up controlling the country’s economy and using their money to taint politics, the administration and judiciary.
Bukit Aman had summoned PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang for claiming that non-Muslims and non-Bumiputera were at the roots of corruption in the country after 28 reports had been received against the Marang MP.
