Ustaz Kazim declined UMNO supreme council appointment

Locally prominent Islamic religious teacher Ustaz Mohammad Kazim Elias has declined his appointment by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Najib Razak on Nov 29 as an Umno Supreme Council member.

Sharing his decision with 2,000 people while presenting a talk at Taman Ria here Tuesday night, he said he wanted to concentrate on consolidating Muslim unity in the country and focus on the school he had set up, Pusat Pendidikan Al-Barakah at Jalan Maxwell, Ipoh.

"I am grateful to the prime minister for the confidence but I don't want to be misconceived as relying on Umno's assistance by accepting the appointment," he said.

Mohammad Kazim said when he met Najib at the parliament building, he was told that four Muftis had supported his appointment.

"By virtue of the appointment, I was to provide advice to Umno members, besides empowering Islam at the primary school right up to the secondary school level.

"I said I belong to the Malaysian people not to a political party. My pupils too preferred that I remain independent even though I am a supporter of the prime minister's Muslim unity agenda," he said, expressing disappointment over postings in social websites and blogs labelling him among others, glamour crazy and craving for financial gratification through the supreme council position.