CARETAKER Kedah Menteri Besar Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor must provide proof for his claim non-Muslims make up the majority of people arrested for giving and receiving bribes, DAP secretary-general Anthony Loke said. 

Loke said the PAS election director’s allegation is baseless and irresponsible. 

“This type of sweeping statement is baseless and will create resentment in Malaysia’s multiracial society.

“I challenge Sanusi to furnish the report that made such a conclusion. Show me your facts. What facts is your study based on?

“If he can’t provide the evidence, Sanusi should issue an open apology,” he said in a Facebook post.

Loke, who is also Transport Minister, said corruption should not be linked to any particular race and that everyone should seek to fight it.

He said Sanusi’s statement is proof Perikatan Nasional is destructive to racial harmony and should be rejected by Malaysians.

Sanusi had reportedly said there is nothing wrong with PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang saying non-Muslims are the ones most involved in corrupt practices. 

Sanusi said it is a fact there are more non-Muslims arrested for giving and receiving bribes.

He blamed DAP for playing up the narrative that Malay leaders are involved in bribery and corruption. 

“I stick with my stand, which is the same as Tok Guru (Hadi), that as long as it is true, I will speak. Just go and take a look at the record of those arrested for the offence of giving and receiving – many are non-Muslims. It is a fact and it is true. 

“Because when the statement was issued, DAP played up the claim that Malay leaders are corrupt, that Malay leaders cannot be trusted.

“They said it is better to have good non-Muslims than Muslim leaders who are not good because they practise corruption.

“But when looking at the facts, many who get caught are non-Muslims,” he was quoted as saying today in the New Straits Times.

He said this during the “Keluar Sekejap” talk show aired online last night. – July 12, 2023.