Melaka Election: PKR Leaders Criticise Hadi Remark as PAS Says Speech Was Quoted Out of Context

KUALA LUMPUR, November 13, 2026 – Several Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) leaders on Friday criticised a remark attributed to PAS president Tan Sri Abdul Hadi Awang during the Melaka state election campaign, while PAS said a news report had quoted his speech out of context.

PKR vice-president Datuk Chang Lih Kang said political differences should rest on policy debate and on solving people’s problems, not on playing on religious sentiment to win support, Bernama reported. He described as deeply disappointing the remark, made at a campaign event in Melaka on Thursday night, in which Hadi was quoted as saying that even the worst Muslims governing the country were not as cruel as non-Muslims.

“As a religious figure with deep knowledge, he should be an example in fostering good character and unity. Unfortunately, that depth of knowledge is not reflected in wisdom in how he speaks,” Chang said in a statement. Chang, who is also Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, said harmony among Malaysia’s many races and religions was one of the country’s main strengths in growing the economy and attracting investment. “The question is, is PAS so desperate to chase power that it is willing to gamble with the unity of the people and the stability of the country?” he said.

PKR secretary-general Datuk Dr Fuziah Salleh, who is also Deputy Minister of Domestic Trade and Cost of Living, questioned how the remark fitted with the opposition’s own cooperation in Melaka, particularly in the Kelebang state seat. She said that at the same rally the MCA president had also spoken, while Gerakan president Dominic Lau had asked Barisan Nasional (BN) and Perikatan Nasional (PN) supporters to vote for a Gerakan candidate who is not Muslim, in front of a largely Malay audience. “How should Hadi’s statement be understood in the context of their own political cooperation?” she asked.

Fuziah went on to urge Malay voters in Kelebang to back Pakatan Harapan’s (PH) candidate, Farzana Hayani, saying that her ties to the coalition leading the federal government could help bring local needs to the government’s attention regardless of religion or race.

PKR youth wing (AMK) chief Muhammad Kamil Abdul Munim described Hadi’s remark as extreme and laden with religious prejudice, and said it risked stoking hatred and dividing Malaysians of different races. “Does such a view also apply to the MCA and Gerakan leaders who are PAS’s political partners? Or is the principle only used when facing those with a different political stand?” he said. He called on Hadi to explain himself publicly, withdraw the statement and correct the perception it had created.

PAS has rejected that reading of the speech. In a statement posted on Hadi’s Facebook page on Friday, the PAS president’s office said a Malaysiakini report headlined “Sejahat-jahat orang Islam tak sezalim bukan Islam” (Even the worst Muslim is not as cruel as a non-Muslim) had taken his words out of context, Malay Mail reported. The office said Hadi had been explaining that politics in Islam is guided by considerations of sin and reward, which lead to just government and guarantee the rights of non-Muslims.

“We regret the media narrative, which could cause misunderstandings among the public, and reject any attempt to stir up racial sentiments ahead of polling day for the Melaka state election,” the statement said. According to Sinar Harian, the speech was delivered on the BN and PN grand finale stage in Bukit Katil, and leaders from PKR and DAP had called on Hadi to apologise and retract the remark.

The exchange comes in the final hours of the 14-day campaign, which ends at 11.59pm on Friday. The Election Commission (EC) has said 675,166 ordinary voters are eligible to cast their ballots on Saturday (November 14) to fill 28 state assembly seats, with 79 candidates, including three independents, in the contest following nomination on October 31, according to Bernama.

Source : Bernama, Malay Mail, Sinar Harian

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