Speaking up: Anwar addressing Finance Ministry officials in Putrajaya. — Bernama
PUTRAJAYA: Tan Sri Abdul Hadi Awang should be mindful of his words concerning Terengganu’s ban on political talks in mosques, says Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
“The ban on political talks in mosques in Terengganu is due to hardline political rhetoric being raised in mosques when it should be a time of worship, not for politics.
“Even as the Prime Minister, I must walk out of the mosque before I can speak about anything related to politics as I respect the authority of the religious leaders.
“We must be mindful of our words in order not to offend the Malay Rulers and religious authorities in the states,” he said to members of the media after attending the Finance Ministry’s monthly assembly here yesterday.
Abdul Hadi, who is PAS president, said in a Facebook post on Saturday that there was nothing wrong with Muslim politicians delivering sermons in mosques or surau.
According to the PAS leader, it is important to speak up on matters of importance, and that includes politics.
His remarks came following last Friday’s order by the Terengganu Islamic and Malay Customs Council that religious lectures, talks and political activities by politicians are banned in all mosques and surau in the state.
Anwar yesterday said that there was a time and place for everything and that religious places should not be used to air political opinions.
“They claim to be religious leaders but all they talk about throughout their sermons is politics.
“If you have disagreements or concerns with the political situation, the proper procedure would be to bring it up in an audience or memorandum to the King, not verbally attack the current government in places of worship,” he added.
On the ministry, Anwar called on the staff to carry out their duty in a transparent manner to ensure public trust in the government.
“I implore MOF staff to take on a no-nonsense direct approach to their work, especially those related to tackling financial crimes,” he said.
“Ministry staff must not allow any possible malpractice or outside influence from occurring such as the misuse of government contracts for personal gains.”
