KUALA LUMPUR – Tan Sri Abdul Hadi Awang has likened the government’s leaders under Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to “burung tiung” (myna birds), claiming that they simply echo their master’s words without a clear understanding of the content.
Referring to “Malaysia Madani,” a slogan introduced by the prime minister, Hadi (Marang-PN) said that the MPs representing the government had failed to grasp the true context of the term.
The PAS president also dubbed the leaders of the Madani government as “old parrots”, saying that despite their advanced age, they still “don’t know how to talk”.
“Yes, when the owner says something, these birds will follow without knowing what it means. We don’t want this when ‘the number one’ says Madani; the rest also repeat it, but they don’t know what Madani means,” he told the Dewan Rakyat when debating the Yang di-Pertuan Agong’s royal address today.
He was responding to Datuk Rosol Wahid (Hulu Terengganu-PN), who interjected and asked if Hadi agreed that the current government resembled the myna in speaking without understanding the context of their words.
“The government has employed the term ‘Madani,’ derived from the word ‘Madina,’ which the Prophet used to establish a country. However, what the government is currently doing is not aligned with the Prophet’s original objectives,” he said.
The comment section on Parliament’s YouTube account was immediately flooded with bird emojis, sparking instant humour and lively reactions from viewers.
Earlier, Hadi expressed that the government’s practice of allocating funds exclusively to selected MPs was unfair and went against the principles of Madani, as he deemed it.
“(The Madani government) must be fair to all MPs across all states. After the general election, regardless of whether the MPs support the government or the opposition, all must be given allocation. This is justice.
“The revenue, the taxes, are collected from all constituencies. When distributing allocations, there are differences. This is not fair.
“The government must act fairly to gain trust from other countries, especially investors,” he said.
This is Hadi’s first appearance at the Dewan Rakyat during the current parliamentary session following his absence last week, reportedly due to his health condition.
In his debate, he also called on the government not to abolish the pension scheme, as it was designed to honour the contributions of civil servants who had dedicated their service to the country.
“The abolition of the pension scheme should not be brought up because it is not Madani. We need to value our civil servants, not only from the monetary aspect, but also from their contributions and services.
“We provide them with remuneration, including pensions, for all, including wives whose husbands have passed away, because we value their kindness and contributions,” he said. – March 6, 2024