ZAHID SLAMS
DPM: Slanders made against leadership to spread conspiracy
FAIRUZ MOHD SHAHAR PUTRAJAYA news@nst.com.my
SLANDERS against top federal leaders have left a negative impression on the government leadership. Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said this happened as politics was used as a platform to spread conspiracy.
“It is no longer a space for consensus, but a way to fulfil one’s desires to attain power and positions,” he said when closing the International Wasatiyyah Seminar at Putrajaya International Convention Centre here yesterday.
Zahid said slanders had been levelled at Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak to create a bad impression on the government.
“The prime minister said he had been badly attacked with slanderous remarks. As the second man, I am also affected by these remarks.
“I will stand by the prime minister and will not leave him alone in facing these challenges.”
Zahid said politics should be a platform to improve the wellbeing of the ummah, but some politicians had exploited it to grab power and positions.
He said the current political culture was based on absolute populism, which permitted politicians to make promises only to break them later on.
“It is as if the politicians have been given a special licence to make promises, and eventually break them.
“This is what we call post-truth politics. Facts are no longer important. They will just make promises and do not fulfil them when they achieve victory,” he said.
Zahid said politicians in the West relied too much on rating system that they became vulnerable whenever they lost support.
He said Muslim leaders did not need such ratings as they should only worry about the rating that Allah set.
He advised the younger generations to understand the meaning of fiqh in Malaysia and practise moderation.
“Don’t be an extremist. Young people should embrace the culture of thinking and being moderate.
“One should also understand and appreciate the wasatiyyah (moderation) principles,” he said.
The seminar yesterday reached three resolutions — Fiqh Wala’ and Taat (obedient) as political and state instruments; the education on Wala’ and Taat should be based on the concept of Wasatiyyah and Tabayyun (seeking truth); and making Malaysia Wasatiyyah Institute (IMW) as a reference body domestically and internationally.
The resolutions were presented by IMW director Datuk Mohd Yusof Din to Zahid.
Zahid said the resolutions would be submitted to the prime minister for the next course of action.
“I will help the prime minister to implement the resolutions at the government level. I do not want these resolutions to be just another piece of paper.”