Pas S Political Satire Risks Alienating Fence Sitters Non Muslims Says Analyst

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 Mazlan Ali says resorting to mockery erodes public respect for the opposition, which will not translate into votes.
An analyst said PAS must keep its members from making statements that could damage the party’s public image. (Bernama pic)PETALING JAYA: An analyst warns that the jab by a PAS leader at Malaysia’s role in brokering peace between Thailand and Cambodia in a cartoon subsequently removed from social media may hurt Perikatan Nasional’s chances of courting fence-sitters
The cartoon, shared by PAS information chief Ahmad Fadhli Shaari, depicted a monkey acting as a judge between a goat and a sheep fighting over bananas, with the caption: “The goat and sheep shouldn’t need a monkey to mediate their banana dispute.”
Mazlan Ali of Universiti Teknologi Malaysia said the post was unbecoming of an MP expected to possess diplomatic sensitivity.
“His actions could push away fence-sitters and non-Malay voters in the next general election, as such sarcastic remarks should not have been said by the PAS leader.
“Instead of mocking, the Pasir Mas MP should have commended the prime minister for how two Asean countries at conflict turned to Malaysia for mediation. Not every leader is entrusted with such a responsibility.
“When you make a dig like this, it erodes public respect (for the opposition), and this won’t translate into votes,” Mazlan told FMT.
Several Pakatan Harapan MPs lodged police reports over the posting at the Dang Wangi police headquarters.
Bangi MP Syahredzan Johan and PKR Youth chief Kamil Munim also demanded that Fadhli apologise to the people of Cambodia and Thailand.
Fadhli, however, told FMT he had no intention of apologising and would leave the matter to the police.
A ceasefire between Cambodia and Thailand took effect at midnight on Monday, ending five days of intense border fighting that left at least 38 people dead and displaced more than 300,000.
The agreement was reached after peace talks in Putrajaya where Malaysia, as Asean chair, hosted both parties with support from the US and China.
Mazlan urged PAS to keep its leaders from making statements that could affect the party’s image.
“The people won’t respect leaders like this. I’ve seen several PAS figures who often make self-damaging remarks,” he said.
Meanwhile, Azmi Hassan of Akademi Nusantara said the cartoon reflected a shallow understanding of serious regional issues.
“It’s obvious that the person who made the post (Fadhli) doesn’t understand the issue Malaysia is trying to resolve. He hasn’t done his homework,” he said. - FMT

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