Umno’s attacks on PAS for allegedly backing communists are fuelled by fear their version of history will need to be rewritten once the truth surfaces, Mohamad Sabu charged last night.
The PAS deputy president said Umno’s smear campaign against him through Utusan Malaysia — by accusing him of supporting communists was aimed at preserving Barisan Nasional’s (BN) own version of history and how Malaysia achieved its independence.
“They (Umno) are worried that history will need to be rewritten if we push matters further,” Mohamad told a ceramah in Gombak near here last night.
The PAS leader, popularly known as Mat Sabu, lamented how other leaders who fought for independence were not properly recognised for their efforts, and reiterated his support for Mat Indera, a Malay leader who was part of the infamous attack on Bukit Kepong police station in the 1950s.
“When I said Merdeka celebrations, it is always an Umno celebration of Merdeka in Malaysia... if it’s not Tunku Abdul Rahman, or Tun Hussein Onn, what about other leaders like Ishak Haji Muhammad (Pak Sako) or Dr Burhanuddin Al-Helmi?
“When Merdeka comes, it is only Umno leaders who are featured,” said the PAS deputy chief.
He claimed that Malaysians no longer celebrated Merdeka, and that proof of this was the lack of the display of national flags in homes or vehicles.
Mohamad also moved to deny claims of him supporting communism, and stressed that he practiced and embraced Islamic principles and loved his country “very much.”
“I push for Islamic principles, not support communism. These allegations are not new, our leaders have faced all sorts of allegations before.
“I love our country very much,” he said.
Mohamad reiterated his intention to have a debate on the Bukit Kepong incident with Umno deputy president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, and said that he would not debate the party’s youth chief Khairy Jamaludddin because the latter had not attacked him publicly.
“Khairy is a good boy, he has the potential to become a future PAS leader...I’m serious. Why should I debate him when the one who has been attacking me is the Umno deputy president,” Mohamad said to squeals of laughter from the audience.
Utusan had quoted Mohamad on August 27 as saying that the communists who attacked the Bukit Kepong police station during the communist insurgency were heroes.
The Umno-owned daily reported that Mohamad made the remarks at a political ceramah in Tasek Gelugor, Penang, on August 21.
During the Emergency (1948-1960), communist insurgents attacked the police station on February 23, 1950 while the country was still under British rule.
The Malay daily also stated that the PAS leader said the country’s first prime minister Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Al-Haj and Umno’s first president Datuk Onn Jaafar were not freedom fighters.
Mohamad has since said he will file a suit on Monday against Utusan Malaysia over its report of his ceramah.
His 24-hour ultimatum for an apology from the Umno-owned Malay daily expired two days ago.
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