PETALING JAYA: Progressive Democratic Party (PDP) president Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing has called on former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and PAS president Tan Sri Abdul Hadi Awang to retire from national politics and live out their golden years in peace.
Tiong has criticised Hadi and his party members for making several statements that might cause confusion and rifts among Malaysians.
He said even before these statements, Hadi was accusing non-Muslims and non-bumiputra of being the cause of corruption, whether as givers or recipients.
"In this regard, I hope that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim will be more sensitive to these statements and take action immediately so that it will not become racial cancer in our society," said Tiong in a statement on Friday (May 12).
Since the economy had only recently recovered from the Covid-19 pandemic, he believed every citizen had the right to live in peace and harmony.
Recently, Hadi had reportedly repeated his controversial claim that non-Muslims and non-Malays were the cause of corruption to support the Malay Proclamation initiated by Dr Mahathir.
"I am deeply saddened by this statement, especially when it’s made by a politician with extensive experience in national politics," said Tiong.
Tiong, who is also Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister, said it was not a good idea to single out any one particular race for one's political agenda.
He stressed that such political manoeuvres would not improve things.
Instead, they could rip the country's unity apart and breed hatred among the populace.
"As a result, I would advise these two veterans to retire from the national political arena early and enjoy their old age peacefully.
"Please save time and avoid using the same old tactics. To avoid making statements that stir up racial and religious tension repeatedly.
"Do not regularly make statements that incite racial and religious tensions," Tiong added.
