Press statement by DAP Secretary-General and MP for Bagan, Lim Guan Eng in Penang on 13 December 2020:

PAS ideology of overt racism and religious extremism is feared by many Malaysians, especially non-Malays and non-Muslims. But PAS is also grossly incompetent. Kedah Menteri Besar Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor has become the latest symbol of PAS’ toxic approach that prioritises divisiveness over national unity, populist sensationalism over competency, and a willingness to jeorpardise racial and religious harmony in Malaysia.

Muhammad Sanusi’s discriminatory policies against non-Muslims and his recent hateful remarks against minorities, particularly Hindus and Indians using racial stereotypes, following the high-handed demolition of a Hindu temple in Alor Setar, has created widespread anger nationally. Muhammad Sanusi remains unrepentant and has now unleashed a shocking threat to dam up Sungai Muda and redirect its waters away from Pulau Pinang to deny raw water to the 1.7 million Penangites.

Clearly these two latest incidents not only displayed the new Kedah Menteri Besar’s “big bully” attitude but also his cruelty. No Malaysian leader until Muhammad Sanusi has ever threatened to deny water to fellow Malaysians. Further he is tinkering with Mother Nature by wanting to redirect Sungai Muda, which is the natural border between Kedah and Pulau Pinang. Is Muhammad Sanusi not defying God’s will by interfering in what God had determined to be the natural course of the river?

Such boorish behaviour by Muhammad Sanusi contrasts with his mentor and PAS first Kedah Menteri Besar, Allayarham Azizan Abdul Razak from 2008-2013. Azizan was cultured, an honourable gentlemen, an intellectual who was the head of the Islamic Syariah Department of Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM). Azizan was everything that Muhammad Sanusi was not, despite Muhammad being appointed as Azizan’s political secretary for the 5 years Azizan was Menteri Besar.

Most importantly Azizan was competent whereas Muhammad Sanusi is not. Muhammad cannot differentiate between the value of RM43 trillion and RM62 billion in rare earth deposits in Kedah, where even the RM62 billion is disputed. Does Muhammad Sanusi realise that RM62 billion is equivalent to 100 years of Kedah’s annual budget?

Worse, the Federal government has clarified that no license has been granted to mine rare earth in Kedah as claimed by the Menteri Besar. This is populist sensationalism at best or evil lies at worst. Muhammad Sanusi may not be as well-educated as his former boss, the late Azizan. But he should appoint good advisors to help him run a competent government in Kedah, especially address the chronic water shortages and water rationing in Kedah.

The late Azizan belonged to a generation of moderate and Malayisan-minded PAS leaders such as the late Tok Guru Nik Aziz and Fadzil Noor. Unlike the present Kedah Menteri Besar, I do not recall Hindu temples being arbitrarily demolished by Azizan during his tenure as PAS Kedah Menteri Besar, winning the confidence of non-Muslims and non-Malays. Definitely, Azizan did not threaten to redirect the waters of Sungai Muda away from its natural course into Pulau Pinang.

Muhammad Sanusi reminds Malaysians everything that is wrong about PAS. Not just the broken promises but also the dangers that PAS in government poses to the future of Malaysia, including both Sabah and Sarawak.

Lim Guan Eng,
DAP Secretary-General,
MP for Bagan.