Latheefa Denounces Govt S Latest Gimmick To Out Islam Pn

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Lawyer-activist Latheefa Koya has lamented the government’s proclivity for gimmicks aimed at proving its Islamic and Malay credentials compared to its political rivals.
This was after Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi announced plans for a gathering of 24,000 tahfiz (Quran memorisers) from across the country to prove the government’s commitment to Islam.
“Another expensive Madani gimmick to show they are more Islamic and more Malay than PAS and Perikatan Nasional,” Latheefa posted on X yesterday.
“How is spending vast amounts of public monies to gather 24,000 Quran memorisers in a one-off event a real commitment to Islam?
“That money is better spent for the poor, education, public welfare, (and) desperate Palestinian or Rohingya refugees in Malaysia. That’s what the Quran itself tells us to do,” she added.
The gathering of tahfiz or huffaz (the plural for tahfiz) is a continuation of a similar event held last year, when the government gathered 23,000 Quran memorisers.
Ahmad Zahid HamidiZahid said they plan to up the number to 25,000 next year.
The Madani coalition has been striving to win over conservative Malay-Muslim voters which have mostly sided with PN, but with limited success.
Meanwhile, Latheefa said the tahfiz gathering reminded her of another stunt in which Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim announced plans to print one million Qurans last year in response to the holy book being burned by a far-right Swedish politician.
“What’s the point of that? The world doesn’t lack Qurans, it lacks people who understand its message. The Quran in multiple translations is on the internet,” she said.
Latheefa, who is a former MACC chief, also questioned whether the government was truly committed to Islam and Muslims.
“In the midst of all this ‘more-Islam-than-you’ gambits, the Madani government still won’t drop the Blackrock deal.
“Which speaks volumes about the depth of their commitment to the ummah (Muslim community),” she said.
The Blackrock deal refers to plans by a Khazanah Nasional-led consortium to take over Malaysia Airport Holdings Berhad (MAHB).
Part of the consortium is Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP), which would be getting an effective 25 percent stake in MAHB once the takeover goes through.
GIP itself is set to be fully acquired by Blackrock, which has deep ties with Israel’s government and military.
Anwar has defended the MAHB deal, saying the government cannot cancel all business dealings that involve Israel-linked companies as it would impact the economy.
Calls for the government to cancel the Blackrock deal were revived after Israel was accused of assassinating Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, whom Anwar boasted a friendship with. - FMT

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