PAS intends to take legal action against Nanyang Siang Pau

Parti Islam Semalaysia (PAS) intends to take legal action against Chinese newspaper Nanyang Siang Pau over a cartoon which it deems insulted Dewan Rakyat Speaker Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia and PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang.

PAS secretary-general Datuk Takiyuddin Hassan claimed that it not only insulted the two leaders but also Muslims and Islamic laws.

"PAS cannot compromise over such a thing and will take legal action against the parties responsible.

"Towards this end, PAS has appointed a lawyer to pursue the matter," he said in a statement here today.

Takiyuddin said PAS also wanted the Home Ministry to review the newspaper's permit and take the appropriate action.

The newspaper yesterday had carried an apology and admitted that the cartoon, carried on its portal eNanyang, was not suitable for public consumption.

It was a caricature of the two leaders, depicted as monkeys wearing songkoks (Muslim men's headgear), in connection with Abdul Hadi's tabling of a private member's bill in the Dewan Rakyat calling for harsher punishment for syariah offences.

Pandikar allowed the bill to be tabled but deferred debate on it to the next sitting of the Dewan Rakyat in July.

Meanwhile, in PETALING JAYA, Selangor PAS handed over a memorandum to the newspaper to voice its objection on the cartoon.

The memorandum was handed over by Selangor PAS Youth chief Syarhan Humaizi Abdul Halim to the editor-in-chief at 11am today.

In GEORGE TOWN, Penang UMNO Youth lodged a police report against the newspaper over the cartoon at the Timur Laut disrtict police headquarters today.

Its vice head Jasmin Nordin said even though the newspaper had made an apology, they were doing so because the cartoon insulted Muslims.

"We hope the Home Ministry will review the newspaper's permit because it has gone overboard in using press freedom," he told reporters. -- Bernama