'Where have non-Muslim leaders been unjust?' Loke hits back at Hadi

MELAKA TENGAH - DAP secretary-general Anthony Loke has questioned Pas president Tan Sri Abdul Hadi Awang’s call for Muslims not to vote for non-Muslim candidates because they are unjust, asking where non-Muslim leaders have shown such injustice.

Loke stressed that Malaysia is a multiracial and multireligious country where leaders of different backgrounds govern together.

“I want to ask, when have non-Muslim leaders been unjust? In the Madani government today, the prime minister is a Muslim and many ministers are Muslims, but we, as non-Muslim leaders, help to run this country together. Where have we been unjust to Muslims? Where have we been unfair to Muslims?

“This is playing with sentiment. It must be accepted that our country is a plural society. We do not want to oppress or be hostile to Muslims.

“Today, we want to say that we respect Islam. As the religion of the federation, we respect it and we accept it. We respect that Islam has dosa and pahala (sin and reward). But I want to tell Hadi that we Chinese also have our culture, our beliefs, our understanding and our teachings.

"Confucianism has good roots: do good to others, do not do evil to others. These are our beliefs and teachings too. So do not use any means to pit religions against one another.”

He said Chinese are not enemies of Muslims, just as Muslims are not enemies of Chinese or Indians.

“We are all Malaysians. What we reject is injustice, corruption and abuse of power. Playing with sentiment every day, what is the use?

"What is most useless is that Wee Ka Siong and Dominic Lau sit there quietly listening to this kind of argument and do not dare say a single word," he said.

Loke urged against using race and religion to create hostility among communities.

He spoke at the DAP Grand Finale Ceramah Harapan at the DAP Melaka office in Taman Pandan Mawar tonight (Nov 13), ahead of tomorrow’s 16th Melaka state election polling day.

The Melaka assembly was dissolved on Sept 23, ahead of its term ending on Dec 27. 79 candidates are standing, with 11 straight fights, 11 three-cornered contests and six four-cornered contests. 

In 2021, BN won 21 seats and formed the government with a more than two-thirds majority, while PH won five and PN two. The five PH assemblymen, four from DAP and one from Amanah, joined the BN-led state administration in 2023 after the unity government was formed in Putrajaya. 

This time PH is fielding 24 candidates, with PKR on 10, and DAP and Amanah on seven each. BN has 23 candidates, Parti Bersama Malaysia 16, Bersatu seven, PN five and Putra one, with three independents. MCA is contesting three seats, including the additional Bandar Hilir seat.