Malaysia’s PAS chief rebuked by Selangor sultan for ‘rude’ article questioning apex court’s ruling

The Federal Court has ruled that Kelantan, a PAS stronghold, cannot expand the scope of sharia law to include aspects of civil law
PAS chief Abdul Hadi Awang says Malaysian monarchs need to ‘have a vision towards the afterlife’ and not just focus on worldly matters

Malaysia

Hadi Azmi

Published: 8:20pm, 29 Feb 2024

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The head of the Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS) received a rare royal rebuke on Thursday over his criticism of a recent apex court ruling that found the state of Kelantan had overreached in its sharia law implementation, with the sultan of Selangor accusing the lawmaker of “deliberately provoking political polemics”.

This came after the Federal Court ruled on February 12 that Kelantan, a PAS stronghold, cannot expand the jurisdiction of its sharia law to include criminal acts already covered by federal powers. The ruling came amid a surge in religious conservatism that has triggered more frequent cultural clashes across the country in recent years.

Kelantan, as well as other Malaysian states, has the power to legislate sharia law covering Islamic offences. But the state’s sharia court is subordinate to civil law courts.

A five-page letter from the palace of Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah – the ruling monarch of the state of Selangor who is also the chairman of the National Council of Islamic Religious Affairs – mentions PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang by name, accusing his article published on his party’s website on Tuesday of being “rude” and out of line.

In the article, the 76-year-old PAS leader wrote that the country’s monarchs need to “have a vision towards the afterlife” and not only on worldly matters, saying they would be judged by God on how they used their power and position while alive.

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“The cynical statement of Abdul Hadi is very inappropriate and rude,” said the sultan’s private secretary, Muhamad Munir Bani, in a letter issued to Selangor’s PAS commissioner.

The royal rebuke is a slap in the face to PAS, which, alongside its ally Bersatu in the Perikatan Nasional (PN) coalition, positions itself as the bastion of Islamic orthodoxy and Malay power against the multicultural Pakatan Harapan coalition led by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.

PAS is currently the single largest party in the parliament after capitalising on a rise in conservative sentiment during the 2022 elections, dubbed “the green wave”.

Apart from Kelantan, which has been under PAS’ rule since 1990, the party and its PN coalition also govern Abdul Hadi’s home state of Terengganu, as well as Kedah and Perlis.

The sultan also questioned Abdul Hadi’s loyalty to the country’s constitution after the PAS leader asserted that it was written by British colonisers who gave Malaysia an “imperfect independence” through a constitution that was created “according to their mould” and contains “time bombs” that would ultimately destroy Islam, the Malay people and their language.

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“Does Abdul Hadi no longer respect the federal constitution as the highest law of the land? Doesn’t this also describe him as deliberately provoking political polemics to gain the support of the people, especially the Malay Muslims?” the palace letter quoted Sultan Sharafuddin as saying.

This came after the sultan, while chairing the National Council of Islamic Religious Affairs meeting on February 19, urged stakeholders to find ways to remove the friction between the sharia courts and the federal constitution to ensure that similar incidents do not happen again.

In the meeting, the sultan also censured PAS Secretary General Takiyuddin Hassan for making comments aimed at stirring sentiments among Malaysian Muslims by describing the Federal Court’s decision as a “Black Friday” moment for sharia law in the country.

Takiyuddin, who is legally trained, later downplayed his statement, calling it a common reaction to losing a case.

Malaysia is a federation of 13 territories, nine of which are traditional Malay states ruled by a constitutional monarch who is the head of Islam in their respective states. Selangor includes the national capital of Kuala Lumpur and is the country’s richest state.

Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah of Selangor (third from right) and the other Malaysian sultans before the election for the next Malaysian king at the National Palace in Kuala Lumpur on October 27, 2023. Photo: EPA-EFE

Every five years, one of the nine sultans becomes the new king of Malaysia as part of the country’s unique rotational monarchy system.

Abdul Hadi previously ignored the decree of Terengganu Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin, who had banned all politicians from speaking in mosques. The PAS chief said then that politics and religion cannot be separated.

“We talk about Islam and in politics there is Islam then it is Islamic politics. It is not wrong and obligatory for us to talk [about the two subjects together],” Abdul Hadi said in March 2023 at his mosque in Marang, Terengganu.

PAS won every single seat in Terengganu during the 2022 elections, leaving the state without any opposition.

Reacting to the rebuke, lawmaker Syahredzan Johan from the Chinese-majority DAP party challenged PAS lawmakers, particularly those having a seat in the Selangor state assembly, to declare whether they agree with Abdul Hadi.

“If they do not agree, they should publicly demand that the president of their party withdraw the statement,” Syahredzan said.

Abdul Hadi has not attended this week’s parliamentary sessions that began on Monday and is reportedly recuperating in a hospital due to declining health.

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