KUALA LUMPUR: Islam was more threatened under the Pakatan Harapan (PH) government 1.0 led by Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, said Umno veteran Tan Sri Shahrir Samad.

He said all the political parties in the country have been in government.

If one wants to compare each others' abilities and influence, Shahrir suggested looking at their governments' efforts and achievements in a similar period of time.

"For instance, compare the first seven months of the PH 1.0 government after the 14th General Election with the first seven months of the unity government after the 15th General Election.

"After the first seven months of the PH 1.0 government led by Dr Mahathir and assisted by Lim Guan Eng (DAP), Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin (Bersatu), and Datuk Seri Azmin Ali, a large-scale Malay Muslim protest happened in Kuala Lumpur.

"Remember? The protest against the government's plan to accept the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (ICERD) happened on Dec 8, 2018, seven months after the PH 1.0 government came to power," said Shahrir on his Facebook page.

The former Johor Baru member of Parliament said even with Dr Mahathir, Muhyiddin and Azmin being part of the government, efforts to move towards secularism were made openly, probably because of the presence of PKR and DAP, two parties that are secular in ideology.

"Now, there are claims that Islam is in danger because of the presence of PKR and DAP in the unity government, but the difference is that Dr Mahathir, Muhyiddin and Azmin are not part of the government. They are on the outside, and Barisan Nasional is (in the government).

"Until now, seven months after the formation of the unity government, there are no issues that threatened Islam, unlike ICERD previously. Such claims are not a reality," said Shahrir.

https://www.nst.com.my/news/politics/2023/07/931041/islam-danger-umno-veteran-calls-facts-check