LETTER | PAS' chronic contribution to disinformation, fake news

LETTER | Just last week, we saw Perak PAS leader Razman Zakaria issuing an apology statement for defaming Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim for carrying the LGBT agenda.

Immediately after the apology - which was issued due to a civil defamation suit brought by Anwar against Razman (above) with damages amounting to RM5 million - Razman’s son, Ri’faat Razman, issued another irresponsible statement claiming that his father only apologised to protect the prime minister’s good name.

This is a mockery of integrity and dignity. PAS leaders are void of dignity, principles, and responsibility. The danger of PAS leaders as politicians in this country is evident as they actively contribute to the global crisis of disinformation and fake news, and it is indeed worrying as they disrupt the creation of a healthy information ecosystem.

Political differences should not be seen as a weakness but as a strength that can help foster Malaysia to be a better place for all via checks and balances.

I strongly urge the opposition to harness the energy that they are wasting to do something more useful and shoulder the plight of people.

I’m scared that in the long run, we will be wasting our time fighting disinformation due to the opposition’s greed.

I wish we can move forward and have concrete and constructive arguments and solutions to reduce people’s burden. I urge Perikatan Nasional (PN) leaders to play their role more professionally instead of working to promote their own agenda for power, greed, and corruption.

Also, this is not the first time Razman has issued an apology to other politicians. The first time was when he apologised to Mohammad Nizar Jamaludin, the second was to Lim Guan Eng, and this time - his third apology - is to Anwar. This shows that he is indeed a habitual liar.

Today, we have Razman’s son Ri’faat retracting his statement that his father only apologised because Razman wanted to protect the prime minister’s good name, which is a blatant lie.

Razman apologised because he agreed to settle the defamation suit to avoid paying damages as he admits to defaming Anwar.

This reflects that PAS and PN leaders only thrive on lies and deceit, which has a long-term impact on the political ecosystem of the country.

Politics should be based on honesty, principles, and integrity, not on the creation of fake news and disinformation. If one is a habitual liar, he should quit politics.

THULSI MANOGARAN is Perak’s Buntong assemblyperson.

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.