PAS and Umno’s false narrative that DAP is anti-Islam.
Amanah vice-president Mahfuz Omar has rubbished claims that the DAP was anti-Malay in its policies, citing vocational training programmes established by the Human Resources Ministry under the party’s leadership to help tahfiz students enhance their skills.
Speaking to internet television’s Jom Channel in a programme titled “Malaysia Hari Ini dan Masa Depan – Apa diharap pada pengkhianat”, Mahfuz said Bersatu’s claims that DAP was anti-Malay were “disgusting.”
Mahfuz, who served as deputy human resources minister in the Pakatan Harapan government, said the current political developments should be taken as a lesson by young people, how the spirit of Malaysians at GE14 to reject a kleptocratic Umno/BN government had triumphed for the future of the nation.
“But suddenly, not even halfway through the Harapan mandate, even before two years have passed, something very shameful has occurred.
“This is when a crisis that occurred with parties in Harapan. I still believe that the position of former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad was more in keeping with the spirit of the voters who rejected BN. But there were some in Bersatu who said they could no longer work in Harapan, just because of DAP.”
“In my view, this is something disgusting (memualkan). For decades the question of Malays and Chinese in relation to DAP has been tied to claims that it would impact negatively on religion or language. But it’s not true, the Malays have never been disturbed,” said Mahfuz, who is also Pokok Sena MP.
He went on to say that when PAS worked with DAP in Pakatan Rakyat, they defended DAP, but today like Umno they are playing on the same false issues that royalty and Islam are under threat.
“What is there to fear from DAP? They are just a punching bag used by those who want to team up with the kleptocracy of Umno and BN.”
Mahfuz cited the TVET-Tahfiz vocational training programme introduced for tahfiz students so that they can undertake religious studies as well as to enhance skill training to prepare them to be competitive in the job market.
“This is something that was never done before and was introduced in October 2019 when the Human Resources Ministry was headed by a ‘non-Muslim, non-Malay’ minister M Kulasegaran.”
Harapan programmes under Kula helped Malay youths
Perbadanan Tabung Pembangunan Kemahiran chairperson Saraswathy Kandasami confirmed that these new programmes were to ensure that youths were not left behind.
“When the tahfiz students leave the education in schools, some don’t have Form 5 qualifications. We have now created an exemption for tahfizstudents to pursue further vocational training studies without SPM,” she said.
Saraswathy told Malaysiakini that the Human Resources Ministry under Kulasegaran had set the agenda that 35 percent of the nation should be a skilled workforce, upping it from 28.
“The special programmes from Harapan were devised to help the youth. How can anyone claim that Islam and Malay values are under threat,” she asked.
Saraswathy also cited the ministry’s efforts to reform PTPK (Skills Development Fund Corporation) to ensure improved standards for students and clampdown on kickbacks given to middlemen under the previous regime.
She said there is now a danger that all these programmes might be hindered after the change of government.
An insider source familiar with the programmes told Malaysiakini: “PAS and Umno have been creating the false narrative that DAP is anti-Islam. However, it was a non-Muslim, non-Malay DAP minister who laid the foundation for a brighter future for Muslim youth by being competitive in the job market.
“This was not done by the usual Human Resources Ministry MIC-Umno combination but was successfully undertaken by a DAP-Amanah leadership.” – Malaysiakini