A MINISTER appealed to Malay-Muslim voters in Cameron Highlands not to be duped by the religious rhetoric of Umno, as Pakatan Harapan attempts to break the Malay nationalist party’s hold over this community.

Malay-Muslims are the largest voting bloc in Cameron Highlands at 33.7%. In the 14th general election, PH only managed to get 7% of the community’s support. Barisan Nasional garnered 46.9% of all Malay votes while PAS managed to secure 41.9%.

At a ceramah in Sg Koyan 1 last night, Mujahid Yusof Rawa, who is in charge of Islamic affairs, said Umno’s use of religion to play on Muslim fears will only make the community mentally backwards.

He also said Umno mismanaged Muslim institutions, such as Tabung Haji, when BN was in power but then turned around and accused the current PH government of being anti-Islam.

“How can (Umno) say they protect the Malays when they are taking the money? The person who took the money, now says that we have shamed the Malays,” Mujahid said.

Mujahid revealed last year that Tabung Haji had been illegally paying dividends to depositors since 2014 as its debts were more than its assets. This was in violation of the Tabung Haji Act 1995.

The the pilgrims’ fund had a deficit of RM4 billion yet it still declared dividends.

Umno leaders have denied any wrongdoing in Tabung Haji and accused PH of attempting to discredit an esteemed Muslim institution.

Mujahid said Umno leaders are playing on Malay-Muslim fears of DAP and accusing the new government of being anti-Islam and of abandoning Muslim institutions.

“We want to take care of Islam and the Malays. Has (Federal Islamic Affairs Department) Jakim been disbanded? They slander so that Malays get angry. For 2019, the finance minister has given RM100 million more to Jakim than before.

“They say PH is anti-Islam, but (the government has allocated) RM50 million to tahfiz schools (Muslim seminaries) and RM25 million for sekolah pondok (religious schools).”

These facts disproved Umno’s claims but the party is dependent on religious fear-mongering to survive, Mujahid said.

“If Malays continue to believe in Umno’s racial and religious rhetoric, they will never move forward.” – January 18, 2019.