TEMERLOH: Pas Youth members have been encouraged to attend vernacular language classes to help the party communicate and get closer to non-Malay communities.
Pas Youth chief Afnan Hamimi Taib Azamudden said efforts to lure the support of non-Muslims should not be solely placed on 'Lajnah Perpaduan Nasional' or the wing's national unity bureau given the unit's limited manpower and capacity.
"The unity agenda is Pas and Pas Youth's agenda. Everyone in the movement must work together to make this a success.
"If there is a need to attend classes to learn Mandarin, then put in the effort. If you need to speak Tamil, then go ahead.
"DHPP (Pas Non-Muslim Supporters Wing) youth chief Balendran (B. Balendran Bala) was once our teacher, who taught us Tamil lessons.
"He taught us one day and for a week, we communicated during meetings and through WhatsApp in Tamil but later forgot the words he taught.
"The ability to converse in other languages apart from Bahasa Melayu can be an important tool to form closer bonds to communicate with others (non-Malays)," he told Pas Youth delegates at the party's annual 'muktamar' at the Al-Makmur complex in Kerdau here today.
Meanwhile, Afnan Hamimi cautioned delegates against assuming that all non-Malay voters were Pakatan Harapan (PH) and DAP supporters, as this was inaccurate.
"We cannot think that if they are non-Malay, they will support DAP and PH. That is not how we think.
"We have to realise that there are also many non-Malay voters who do not support DAP or PH.
"Some even dared express their dissatisfaction with DAP through TikTok videos, where they speak fluently in Bahasa Melayu. Some non-Malay friends were willing to drive from Kuantan to Parliament to meet with Pas members of parliament to see how we engage in parliamentary debates.
"This was proof that our non-Malay friends are easily approachable if the techniques and methods are right.
"Our non-Malay friends have no issue with accepting us if they are given proper explanations regarding any issue.
"They (non-Malays) can accept our explanation and even provide feedback on what their friends' reactions are, what we should do and what we should avoid," he said.