By Lisa J. Ariffin
PETALING JAYA, Aug 9 — Pakatan Rakyat (PR) today slammed Malay daily Utusan Malaysia for stoking “religious conflict” after the Umno-owned paper ran a controversial report on its front page yesterday titled “Haram sokong DAP” (Forbidden to support DAP).
Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim (picture) told reporters the Malay broadsheet’s reports were a political campaign by religious extremists to instil disaffection towards PR parties, pointing out that the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN), including its lynchpin Umno, has previously said it was against carrying out “hudud”, the Islamic penal code that metes out harsh punishment for offenders.
“Why do the ulama say only DAP cannot be supported when Umno’s and MCA’s speeches are in the same category?” he told a news conference today.
DAP adviser Lim Kit Siang, who was also at the same news conference, branded the Utusan report as “a very irresponsible and seditious act”.
“We have to unite the people of Malaysia, but Utusan is doing otherwise. This shows how a fraction of Umno leaders are so desperate they would lose in the general election they have resorted to dangerous and dirty tactics,” Lim said.
“Do they want to create a religious conflict in Malaysia?” he asked.
Lim said the DAP accepts completely Islam’s standing in the constitution as the country’s official religion.
“Our stand is that Malaysia is secular and Islam is the official religion,” he said.
MORE TO COME