Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing, president of the Progressive Democratic Party (PDP), has urged former prime minister Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad and PAS president Tan Sri Abdul Hadi Awang to abdicate from national politics and enjoy their golden years in tranquility.
Tiong has criticized Hadi and his party members for making statements that have the potential to cause confusion and discord among Malaysians.
Even before these statements, he said, Hadi was blaming non-Muslims and non-bumiputras for corruption, whether as donors 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 does not become a racial cancer in our society,” said Tiong in a statement released on Friday (May 12).
Since the economy had only recently recovered from the Covid-19 pandemic, he believed that every citizen had a right to peaceful coexistence.
Recent reports indicate that Hadi repeated his controversial claim that non-Muslims and non-Malays were the cause of corruption in support of Dr. Mahathir’s Malay Proclamation.
“I am deeply saddened by this statement, especially when it’s made by a politician with extensive experience in national politics,” said Tiong.
He emphasized that these political maneuvers would not alleviate the situation.
Tiong, who is also Minister of Tourism, Arts, and Culture, stated that it was not a good notion to single out a specific race for political purposes.
Instead, they could undermine the nation’s cohesion and sow discord among the populace.
“Therefore, I would advise these two veterans to leave the national political arena as soon as possible and appreciate their golden years in tranquility.
“Please conserve time and avoid employing tired strategies. To avoid repeatedly making statements that incite racial and religious tension.
“Do not regularly make statements that incite racial and religious tensions,” added Tiong.
