Sultan Sharafuddin disappointed with PAS president’s statement on Malay Rulers
KLANG: PAS president Tan Sri Abdul Hadi Awang has received a royal rebuke for being disrespectful and insolent towards the Malay Rulers.
The admonishment from Selangor Ruler Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah (pic) was relayed to Abdul Hadi in a letter to Selangor PAS commissioner Datuk Dr Ab Halim Tamuri.
It was signed by the Ruler’s private secretary Datuk Mohamad Munir Bani.
In the letter dated Feb 27, Mohamad Munir said Sultan Sharafuddin was saddened by the Marang MP’s statement titled Ketinggian Islam wajib dipertahankan (Islam’s supremacy must be defended), which appeared to target religious scholars, lawyers, judges, MPs, assemblymen and the Malay Rulers.
“Tan Sri Abdul Hadi’s remark that the Rulers ‘need to look at the needs of the afterlife and not worldly interests’ was inappropriate and ill-mannered from a Malay cultural perspective,” Mohamad Munir said.
Abdul Hadi’s social media outburst came after the Federal Court had struck out 16 criminal provisions in the Kelantan Syariah Criminal Code Enactment (1) 2019 on Feb 9.
Sultan Sharafuddin, who is the chairman of the National Council for Islamic Religious Affairs (MKI), had called for all Malaysians to respect the Federal Court’s decision and uphold the Federal Constitution as the supreme law of the nation.
The Ruler called for calm while awaiting the results of a study by a special committee on the competency of state assemblies in enacting Islamic laws.
Mohamad Munir, in the letter, said Sultan Sharafuddin believed Abdul Hadi’s statement indicated that he (Abdul Hadi) did not thoroughly comprehend the Ruler’s speech.
He added that Malay culture emphasised respect and decorum when addressing matters related to the Malay Rulers.
“His statement also criticised judges (saying) that they had failed to interpret the Federal Constitution according to true Islamic principles and it seems (according to Abdul Hadi) that the Constitution was formulated by the colonials to destroy religion, race, language and subsequently the nation,” he said.
“Tan Sri Abdul Hadi’s statement that the Federal Constitution was created by the colonials to push aside the position of Islam is inappropriate,” he said, adding that the disrespectful statement could confuse Muslims and eventually create divisions among them.
Mohamad Munir emphasised that Sultan Sharafuddin had, in the royal address at the MKI meeting, called for a solution to ensure state assemblies’ competency to formulate syariah laws and for them to be streamlined under the Federal Constitution.
This was to prevent the overlap of powers between the federal and state governments.
At the same time, His Royal Highness had also recommended that the government enhance efforts to strengthen the Syariah Courts’ position, he added.
“His Royal Highness also directed for a special committee be formed to look into the matter and make necessary recommendations to MKI and the Rulers Conference, which includes proposals to amend the Federal Constitution, if needed,” he said.
He said Sultan Sharafuddin had directed him to convey to Dr Ab Halim the need to advise Abdul Hadi to be more careful in future so as not to insult the Malay Rulers through statements that can divide Muslims.
“Tuanku has also directed politicians to not use Islam and tarnish the sanctity of the religion for their party politics,” said Mohamad Munir.
