KUALA LUMPUR: Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail has hit out at Tan Sri Abdul Hadi Awang over the remarks he made during the Pas Muktamar recently, accusing the unity government of continuing the agenda of 'munafiq' (hypocrites).
The Home Minister, who is also the Pakatan Harapan secretary-general, said drawing similarities between the unity government and munafiq is outright inaccurate and misleading.
Saifuddin said that over the past 40 years, the Pas president has become synonymous with hate politics and one that promotes 'takfir' phenomenon.
Takfir refers to the practice of one Muslim declaring another Muslim an infidel.
"He never gets tired of insulting his rivals and is very liberal in using the labels kafir (infidels), nifaq (hypocrites), Western agent, Freemason, and others against those he dislikes," Saifuddin said in a statement today.
Saifuddin also told Hadi to understand the history and context before making comparisons and hurling accusations against others.
"Historical facts showed that Madinah was governed by Prophet Muhammad and his faithful followers, not by those considered as munafiqun (the hypocrites).
"As such, comparing the unity government to the hypocrites in Madinah is both inaccurate and misleading," he said.
Saifuddin also took Hadi to task on why Pas had made no efforts to bad alcohol and gambling when the party was part of the federal administration.
"Despite its rhetoric, Pas was ineffective and lacked ideas for development in the country while it was part of the Perikatan Nasional-led administration.
"This failure was evident when the public had to initiate the white flag campaign (when the country was placed under Covid-19 controlled measures) to support one another," he said.
Saifuddin also said that even in the four states governed by Pas, no similar actions have been taken. This, he said, shows that implementing policies requires broader consideration, and Pas lacks ideas for leading the country.