KUALA LUMPUR: Kepong member of Parliament Lim Lip Eng has criticised the Pas Ulama Council for green-lighting Kedah Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor to participate in karaoke activities.
In a statement, Lim said the statement by the council's chief Datuk Ahmad Yahaya exposed a clear double standard within the party.
"While the Pas Ulama Council chief claims karaoke is permissible under Islamic law, the state of Kelantan, which is governed by Pas, has banned all such businesses.
"This inconsistency raises an obvious question: Why is it okay for Pas leaders like Sanusi to enjoy karaoke, but regular people in Kelantan can't?
"It's a blatant case of hypocrisy. Pas talks about upholding strict religious values, but when it comes to their own leaders, those rules seem to loosen up," he said.
Lim said on one hand, Pas leaders defend karaoke as long as it did not conflict with Islamic law, but on the other, they imposed a blanket ban on the same activity in Kelantan.
"This isn't just about karaoke — it reflects a deeper issue of double standards within Pas. The party seems quick to enforce restrictions on ordinary citizens while allowing its own leaders to act outside those limits."
He said if Pas wanted to be credible and maintain public trust, they needed to stop preaching one thing and doing another.
"A party can't expect to be taken seriously if it continues to impose rules on others that it isn't willing to follow itself," said Lim.
Yesterday, Ahmad denied that the party's Ulama Council was blindly defending Sanusi following criticisms over his participation in karaoke sessions.
He said the council would monitor and advise its leaders who engage in activities that could be deemed as misconduct.
However, he said activities such as singing and sports were permissible as long as they did not conflict with Islamic law.
On Saturday, a Pas delegate had expressed disappointment over the quality of some party leaders, whom he described as deteriorating.
Dr Mohd Saifizi Saidon from Perlis alleged that Pas leaders were seen greeting women with handshakes on several occasions, but no action was taken.
He also said the party's ulama (religious scholars) had defended some leaders who took part in karaoke sessions.
KW: Pas, karaoke, handshake, double standard, Islamic law, hypocrisy