SHAH ALAM - The claim made by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim that the stability of the country relies on policies of the administration rather than the number of parliamentarians from a particular ethnic group, is incorrect.
Pas president Tan Sri Abdul Hadi Awang said the significant role of race or ethnicity in determining national power was crucial, further stating the view of Islamic scholars supports the notion that the selection of head of state should be based on ethnicity or race.
"The scholars argue that the requirement that the leader hail from the Quraish means that the head of state must come from Muslims who hold significant influence, particularly those who are dominant among the Muslim community.
"Therefore, in Malaysian politics, the Malays are obliged to lead, rule and administer a pluralistic society that includes non-Muslims," he said in a post on Facebook today.
Anwar recently disagreed with Hadi's claim on the position of Malay MPs in the government, considering it to be an inaccurate assessment and shallow.
The prime minister had further said that the formation of a stable government does not rely on the quantity of MPs from any specific ethnicity in parliament but rather on sound policies.
Hadi further said that the political philosophy of Pakatan Harapan (PH), promotes secularism and the idea of a 'Malaysian Malaysia' which disregards the importance of Malay leadership, regardless of their faith, moral values, and integrity.
He said that such a leadership style is unlikely to grow due to the presence of factions within the administration.
"We are witnessing an example of a government that can only survive for a short and fragile because leaders were not appointed among the dominant race as practiced in the United States, Chile, Fiji, and most recently in the United Kingdom," he added.