By Shannon Teoh
KUALA KRAI, July 9 — Umno deputy president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin went for broke last night in defending his party against PAS's accusations of rejecting Islam in the Manek Urai by-election.
In the deputy prime minister's latest gambit for control over the Islam-centric electorate here, he declared: "I challenge PAS, if they can prove that they have done more than this, then we will surrender."
He told over 200 villagers here that developing Islam was more than just about "building mosques but even then we have built thousands, way more than PAS."
"Umno raised the spirit of Malay Muslims to gain independence from the British after centuries of being colonised. Did PAS ever fight for independence?" the Barisan Nasional (BN) election chief said.
He also numbered Islamic banking, Takaful or Islamic insurance and Tabung Haji, the national pilgrimage fund for Muslims, as other Islamic achievements by Umno.
The religious credentials of the rival Malay-based parties are key to the Malay-Muslim vote here who make up 99 per cent of the 12,300 voters.
PAS has been pushing its Islamic agenda in its campaign here, with spiritual leader Datuk Nik Aziz Nik Mat going so far as to accuse Umno of practising deviant teachings and being described as communists.
But Muhyiddin last night attempted to turn the table on the Islamist party by rejecting claims that he had insulted Mohd Fauzi Abdullah, the PAS candidate, for being a fish seller.
"Islam commands us to seek knowledge, I am sure Tok Guru knows this," he said, referring to Nik Aziz, the Kelantan mentri besar.
"I merely said that our candidate was not a fish seller," he said of Tuan Aziz Tuan Mat.
"It is true. Tuan Aziz is more qualified. I am not saying that less educated people cannot be leaders but between a higher-educated leader and a less-educated leader, who should you choose?" he asked the crowd.
The education minister also took time to play up the decision by the federal government to scrap the teaching of science and maths in English, stating that it would end the difficulties of rural Malays who "have never heard English before."
He said the move would ensure that Malay language will always have a science component instead of the vocabulary being killed off and lost altogether.
But he gave an assurance that the government would move to improve the command of English in rural areas.
Muhyiddin also elaborated on his promise that the federal government would adopt Manek Urai, with promises of development projects should they vote for BN.
"You will not just be adopted, because some adopted children are treated like stepchildren but you will be the golden child," he promised.
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BTW on your way out leave all your clothes behind, you can keep your underwear