Friday 29 Mar 2024
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PETALING JAYA: Perlis mufti Datuk Dr Mohd Asri Zainul Abidin has taken Datuk Ahmad Maslan to task for reportedly saying that Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad lacks understanding about the goods and services tax (GST). Without naming the deputy finance minister, Mohd Asri said he wondered whether “a fool” could be appointed to important posts in the government.

“If someone whom the majority of Malaysians perceive as ‘less intelligent’ (to avoid using the word stupid) because of his statements on GST, says that Tun M, who is famous for his intellect, does not understand GST, then is the person who made that statement wiser than Tun M?” Asri wrote in a Facebook post.

“It got me thinking, in Islamic jurisprudence, a person who is safih (stupid or less intelligent) should not be allowed to manage wealth, even his own. So the question is, can people under this category be given the authority to manage the country’s affairs, which affect the people? Can the less intelligent be given important posts such as that of minister and the like?”

His post which was put up on Saturday received over 40,000 “likes” and nearly 6,000 “shares”.

In recent weeks, Ahmad has been lampooned on social media over his defence of the GST, especially after he advised students at Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) to cook their own meals to save costs. On Saturday, Astro Awani reported Ahmad as saying that Dr Mahathir did not understand the GST, and that was why the former prime minister suggested the government abolish the controversial tax system.

“I think the people around him did not give him the proper explanation about GST. The GST percentage is much lower than SST (sales and service tax). So, how can he say it’s better for the government to cancel GST?” the Pontian MP was quoted as saying.

He also urged those close to Mahathir to explain the GST clearly to him, “without being influenced by the negative comments of the opposition”.

Dr Mahathir repeated his stand against the GST during a meet-the-people session in Kuala Lumpur on Saturday.

“If they want to add on the sales and service tax, that would have been all right but to introduce a system that even the officers are not sure about ... it is a bit too much,” he said.

In George Town, meanwhile, Ahmad said there was no need for him to accept Penang Keadilan Youth’s invitation to be a panel member of a GST forum on May 2 because the opposition clearly refuted the advantages of the system.

“I don’t want to debate on their stage not because I am scared. I have answered questions on the issue repeatedly in the Dewan Rakyat. I have many other platforms to explain the issue (GST). “They (the opposition) will spin even the actual facts,” Ahmad said. — The Malaysian Insider

 

This article first appeared in The Edge Financial Daily, on April 27, 2015.

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