Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Mujahid Yusof Rawa said today that PAS' attempt at stoking a siege mentality among Malays at the appointment of a non-Muslim chief justice was an attempt to deny the “remedial and restorative acts” of the Pakatan Harapan government.
In a statement, the minister in charge of religious affairs accused the Islamist party of complicity in protecting the previous administration, evident in their lack of public outcry over alleged financial misdeeds and other "shenanigans.”
Mujahid added that the party's criticism against the appointment of Richard Malanjum as chief justice only served to inflict harm on Islam's universalist ideals, as it "reeks of racism" as well as "ethno- and religio-chauvinism."
"It is precisely this siege mentality that the electorally dethroned Umno-BN government sought to create to distract Muslims from its misdeeds, now being revealed in all its enormity.
"One would think the magnitude of the revelations of financial and other crimes committed by Umno-BN during their long watch would give pause to the Harapan government's critics in their ardour to portray all it is doing as somehow subversive of the status of the Islamic religion, the special position of Malays and other bumiputera, and the position of Bahasa Malaysia as the national language.
"But no such chagrin is evident," his statement read.
Though not expressly forbidden, Mujahid said, critics provoking fear among Malays and Muslims should instead be curtailed by “shame” instead.
"Harapan's carping critics should realise that what the norms of partisan politics do not rule out, shame ought to forbid.
"They must remember that at one time this shame was a potent deterrent of immoral conduct among the Malays."
PAS has come under fire from members of the legal fraternity and Harapan leaders for its harsh rebuke of Malanjum's appointment as chief justice on Wednesday.
Information chief Nasrudin Hassan said Thursday that the appointment of Malanjum, along with that of Tommy Thomas as attorney-general and Liew Vui Keong as de facto law minister were causing restlessness among Muslims.
In response, former Federal Court judge Gopal Sri Ram said such views belonged in the "Middle Ages," while Sepang MP Hanipa Maidin said it was merely coloured with emotion and devoid of "high intellectualism".
