Mohamad in contemplative mood at his office in Komtar. — LIM BENG TATT/The Star
AS THE new Penang Deputy Chief Minister I who also holds the national unity and Islamic development portfolios, Datuk Dr Mohamad Abdul Hamid is focused on uniting and empowering Muslims.
“Only unity can elevate the position of Malays and Islam,” he said, adding that he would seek the well-being of all Malays in Penang regardless of their political background.
Mohamad said the notion that Islam was being suppressed in Penang was totally baseless.
“Many have a distorted view of what the state government has done for the Muslim community in Penang.
“Since 2008, almost RM800mil has been allocated for Islamic activities.
“Mosques and surau have flourished under the leadership of Pakatan Harapan and Pakatan Rakyat,” he said in an interview.
Recognising that some groups connected with Opposition political parties had tried to disparage the state government, Mohamad said countering such disinformation while strengthening the Muslim community were top on his to-do list.
His first task as deputy chief minister was to order the authorities to withdraw the approval of the Viral Lagu Tik Tok Concert scheduled to be held in Kepala Batas on Sept 30.
He said the concert drew objections from local residents for not taking into account the sensitivities of Muslims, especially because it would be held two days after the Maulidur Rasul (Prophet Muhammad’s birthday) celebration.
The former Penang Kolej Islam Teknologi Antarabangsa rector said he wanted village community management councils (MPKK) in the state to reach out to the communities, especially in rural areas where getting accurate information was vital.
He said MPKK could play a role in preventing disinformation about Islam in Penang.
“The state also has six religious administration officers who can help disseminate the correct information,” he added.
Hailing from Permatang Bertam in Kepala Batas, Mohamad, 49, is also Batu Maung assemblyman.
His other portfolios are education and higher education.
Mohamad said his experience as an academician provided him a good platform to drive Penang forward as an international education hub.
“I would like to see private higher education centres here collaborate with universities from abroad to bring more programmes to Penang so that we can attract more foreign students.”
He joined PKR in 2020 after resigning from Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia as an associate professor in Islamic finance.
Prior to entering politics, he was Universiti Islam Antara-bangsa Sultan Abdul Halim Mu’adzam Shah (Unishams) deputy vice-chancellor.
In the recent state elections, Mohamad won the Batu Maung seat in a straight fight.
He defeated his rival from Perikatan, Azahari Aris, with a 3,221 majority.
Mohamad is married with five children aged five to 23 years.
