Now Nik Aziz's son says local elections will create 'INJUSTICE'

PAS does not support local government elections because it does not guarantee justice, said PAS’ Pasir Mas MP Nik Abduh Nik Mat.

Joining the DAP vs PAS’ brawl on the matter, he insisted that this is PAS’ official policy and not a personal view of president Abdul Hadi Awang.

PAS does not believe that polls are the only means for democracy and any PAS leader who says otherwise does not understand the party, he said.

Instead of looking at polls as a means towards justice, he said that proponents of local government elections are putting polls and elections as the goal.

“PAS understands democracy in the larger and more just perspective of Islam. It seeks to achieve justice and not glorify the means to justice which can change according to circumstances,” he said in a statement.

“What we have done is to crown democracy and elections as the king. Islam forbids this.”

Nik Abduh claimed that justice was achieved during Prophet Muhammad’s era, the caliphate and during monarchies like that under the Umayyad caliph Umar Abdul Aziz’s reign – all without elections.

Superpowers use polls to defend their veto power

MP Nik Abduh Nik Mat.

“Justice is also achieved through the democracy of today which is modelled on the Islamic syura (consultative council) which is fair for all times,” he said.

He pointed out that even western countries which favour polls, defend their veto powers in the United Nations as a means to nullify the majority vote, he said.

“This is cruel (but) it can be concluded then that polls can be rejected for the greater purpose of justice,” he said.

Yesterday, Abdul Hadi reportedly said that local polls would be unfair to rural folk.

“To manage cities, it should not only involve the city folk. The local elections will see only the city folk voting when in fact those who make the city ‘alive’ are not only the city folk but the fishermen and the farmers as well,” he was quoted by Sinar Harian as saying.

Abdul Hadi had previously warned that having local council elections could lead to racial riots, like the May 13 1969 riots.

PAS and DAP have continued their spats, with leaders from both parties continuing to criticise the other over the matter. - M'kini