Dr M: PAS uses Arabic to trick Malays

The former PM says 'tahaluf siyasi' is no different from Umno's cooperation with non-Muslim parties.

PETALING JAYA: Former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad has accused PAS of exploiting the Malay reverence for Arabic phrases to legitimise its political cooperation with DAP.

In his latest posting on chedet.cc, Mahathir mocked the Islamist party’s use of the term “tahaluf siyasi” to denote its cooperation with the “infidels” of DAP. He said PAS could have just used the Malay word “kerjasama” but had chosen its Arabic equivalent because “the Malays consider Arabic the language of religion and would accept anything as coming from Islam if it is described in that language.”

He said the “tahaluf siyasi” of PAS and DAP was no different from Umno’s cooperation with MCA and MIC except that BN’s non-Malay parties were not opposed to Umno’s Islamic aspirations.

He said DAP, on the other hand, had clearly asserted its opposition to PAS’ Islamic agenda.

“Umno’s colleagues have never opposed Umno and Islam,” he said. “In fact, they do not reject Umno’s stand that Malaysia is an Islamic country.”

He recalled that PAS was once so opposed to Umno’s cooperation with non-Muslims that its leaders used to condemn the Malay party itself as a party of infidels.

“PAS alleged that Muslims were forbidden from cooperating with non-Muslims, that they would become disbelievers if they did so. And so, the Malays in Umno and their supporters had fallen into disbelief.”

He said PAS had since changed its stand because it had come to realise that it would be impossible for it to get to Putrajaya without the support of non-Muslims.