DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng has accused former ally PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang of stirring up racial and religious sentiments among the people by claiming that DAP was eyeing the prime minister post.

Guan Eng said Hadi, despite portraying himself as an ulama, had made a statement that was not true.

DAP, he said, had never been after the prime minister position should Pakatan Harapan take Putrajaya in the next general election.

“It has been announced that PH’s proposed candidates for both prime minister and deputy prime minister are not from DAP. Why (does Hadi) insist that DAP is after the post?

“The attack (against DAP) is aimed at creating or inciting racial sentiments among the people, among Malays and non-Malays,” he told a press conference in Penang today.

DAP and PAS used to be allies but disagreements over the hudud issue drove them apart. The Islamist party officially broke ties with DAP in 2015. They have been on unfriendly terms since.

Yesterday, a Berita Harian article titled “Derita bawah naungan DAP” (Suffering under DAP Rule), reported Hadi’s attacks on the DAP and its veteran leader Lim Kit Siang, who is Guan Eng’s father.

Hadi was slamming Kit Siang for having prime ministerial ambitions, an allegation that has of late been repeated by Barisan Nasional and others who were anti-DAP.

This was despite PH having gone on record that its candidates for interim prime minister and deputy prime minister were its chairman, Dr Mahathir Mohamad, and president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail from Bersatu and PKR respectively.

Hadi reportedly said it was against Islam, the religion of the federation, for Kit Siang to harbour such an ambition, adding that only Islam could be fair to all.

He said this was unlike PAS that put priority on maintaining Islamic leadership in the country

Hadi went on to accuse DAP of failing to be a “clean government” and causing its citizens to suffer. DAP leads the Pakatan Harapan government in Penang.

Guan Eng, who is Penang Chief Minister, said BN lynchpin party Umno would need to resort to “racist and extremist methods” to paint DAP as anti-Malay and anti-Islam to gain support, as it had grown unpopular following issues like the rising cost of living.

“But it is most regretful that there is a party, which is supposed to uphold Islam, playing up racist sentiments.

“I am told that in Islam, it is forbidden to do so. It is called ‘asabiyyah’. For a religious leader, an ulama to do this, it is unacceptable.

“Even if Umno and Hadi want to be friends, they should not be stirring up such sentiments,” he said.

Guan Eng also took offence at the label “Cina DAP” (Chinese DAP) that was often used by detractors on his party, which today has a growing number of Malay and Indian members and leaders.

“We have never used terms like ‘Melayu Umno’ (Malay Umno) or ‘Islam PAS’. Politics is politics. Why drag race and religion into it and stir up hatred against the Chinese.

“Hadi now appears like a threat to the non-Malays, especially the Chinese,” he said.

Citing a recent Berita Harian front-page report on the need to stop DAP from going after the  prime minister position, Guan Eng added that the party must be easy to bully because its members were mostly Chinese and non-Muslim.

“I think this is the sentiment that non-Malays feel is a threat (to them), and they are very worried.” – December 17, 2017.