Hadi denies proposing two-cabinet structure

Updated 8 years ago · Published on 6 Feb 2018 10:24AM · 3 Comments

PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang has come under fire following reports that should the Islamist party rule the country, the administration will have two cabinets – one comprising Muslims and the other, non-Muslims. – The Malaysian Insight file pic, February 6, 2018.

PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang has denied that the Islamist party will divide the administration into two cabinets if it rules the country.

Party mouthpiece Harakahdaily quoted Hadi as saying his statement on the matter had been misunderstood, and that he was referring to the distribution of duties and not proposing a two-cabinet model.

“The two-cabinet (proposal) is incorrect. It’s not two cabinets. It’s the distribution of duties.

“It’s normal for a government to have a minister, deputy minister, prime minister, special functions minister (and) ministers who administer ministries.

“That’s the normal distribution, right? It’s not a two-cabinet (model). They didn’t understand my statement.”

On Sunday, The Malaysian Insight reported on Hadi’s proposed cabinet structure under a PAS government, where he said people of different faiths would have different roles.

“If PAS rules, it (the administration) will be divided into two. One (is) a cabinet that decides on national policies. This must consist of people who adopt the national ideology and faith.

“This cabinet will appoint an executive cabinet to carry out the policies, and the members can be non-Muslims, appointed based on their expertise,” the Marang MP had said in his speech at the opening of PAS’ dialogue with Indian civil society bodies in Kepala Batas, Penang.

He had said the second group would be the technocrats who carried out government policies.

Lawmakers and political analysts have criticised Hadi’s statement, saying it was discriminatory, un-Islamic and contrary to the tenets on which Malaysia was formed.

Analyst Wong Chin Huat had said Hadi’s idea of a political division of labour was basically a religious caste system.

The PAS president, however, refuted Wong’s statement, saying Islam was a religion that had abolished the caste system as its scholars, or ulama, were not considered sacred.

He said his comments referred to a coalition of those who professed the national faith, and those who did not, in a single government.

“In a modern country, only those who profess the national ideology (faith) can be cabinet ministers.

“If the Democratic Party, all (members are) Democrats. If the Republican Party, all (members are) Republicans. If Barisan Nasional, all (members are) BN.” – February 6, 2018.

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Comments

  • National faith hahaha....We have seen this in action for more than 50 years, National faith minister are kleptocrates, cheats, liars, crooks, poor managers, racists, fascists, good for nothing, living the most anti religion lives, multiple wifes, abusors of women, unfair, unjust, corrupted, gangsters. Did I omit anything?

    Posted 8 years ago by Alphonz Jayaraman · Reply

  • Yes he did AND THIS MAKE IT WORST - So what is different between Him and Najib that also deny what he said/did? IF you cannot get these detail right, if you think getting such details rights are not critical, you do not have the skills and knowledge to rule. You cannot outsource this thing. Running a govt is not just have meetings and pontificate and delegate the work.

    Posted 8 years ago by Bigjoe Lam · Reply

  • Hadi's blatant denial in the face of sustained valid criticism reminds me how the Chinese would describe such unprincipled and spineless acts - they call someone like that a turtle/tortoise. When it's head is rapped, the animal quickly retracts its head into its shell. Such an unfortunate situation where the well-known Tourism Malaysia icon is linked in such manner to Hadi.

    Posted 8 years ago by K TWong · Reply