IT is wrong for Muslims to boycott the general election, said PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang, following reports that some voters were giving the national polls a miss as a form of protest.

“It’s the responsibility of all Muslims to choose and to lead a government that is just for all,” Hadi said in his speech at the launch of Selangor PAS’ election machinery in Shah Alam today.

“Unfortunately, some Malaysians, especially the young, don’t see the election as important. They say they don’t want to come out and vote.

“(They say) that all political parties are the same. This is a wrong presumption. It is contrary to Islamic principles,” Hadi said.

Several social media campaigns are promoting the idea of boycotting the election or casting spoiled votes as a signal of how citizens had lost trust in the country’s two main political coalitions, Barisan Nasional and Pakatan Harapan.

PH’s choice of naming former Umno president Dr Mahathir Mohamad as its candidate for prime minister has also riled up some voters, who blamed Dr Mahathir for ruining the country’s institutions, trampling on civil liberties and creating a culture of money politics during his tenure from 1981 to 2003.

Analysts had said that the boycott campaigns would benefit BN by lowering voter turnout among PH supporters.   

PAS is leading a second opposition coalition called Gagasan Sejahtera Rakyat, which will take on BN and PH for control of 222 parliamentary seats in the next general election. – January 21, 2018.