A member of Malaysia's opposition Parti Islam se-Malaysia (PAS) has suggested that the sinkhole which swallowed a tourist in Kuala Lumpur (KL) was the result of divine retribution for the evil actions of the Democratic Action Party (DAP).
Sinkhole and search
In August 2024, a sinkhole opened up along Jalan Masjid India in central KL.
An eight-metre-deep hole opened up without warning along the street and a tourist from India fell into it, prompting an unsuccessful nine-day long search for her.
In that time two other holes were reported, one less than 50m away from the original at Jalan Masjid India.
This was despite the insistence of KL’s mayor that the city was safe.
There has been significant debate over what caused the sinkhole, as well as an ongoing investigation into the situation.
Divine retribution
However, one opposition politician from PAS has suggested an unorthodox explanation for the tragedy.
During the 65th PAS Youth assembly on Sep. 12, Machang delegate Sharif Azhari suggested that the cause might have been divine retribution.
MalaysiaKini quoted Sharif as saying “we feel sorry for the missing Indian woman, we must recognise this as divine retribution”.
He said this during a debate on a resolution stating “PAS Youth condemns DAP’s interference in Islamic affairs”.
Sharif also blamed the Federal Territories Minister for what has been done with land in KL.
It is not clear which minister Sharif was referring to, the current one or a previous minister.
The current Federal Territories Minister, Zaliha Mustafa, is from Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR), not the DAP.
The DAP has never held the role of Federal Territories Minister.
Wicked evil things
Sharif also cited a Quranic verse, saying that sinking people into the earth is a form of divine retribution.
MalaysiaKini quoted Sharif as saying that he viewed the situation as a form of divine retribution, particularly for DAP’s evil deeds.
He said that the DAP was wicked, and had done evil things, and that “we” must speak out.
He backed up his comment by citing a National Geographic documentary about the construction of KL’s city centre.
According to him, the documentary suggested that KL’s city centre was a poor building ground due to land reclamation where two rivers met.
He also fully supported the anti-DAP resolution.
Outdated and extreme
The comments were quickly condemned by politicians associated with the Malaysian government.
Syahredzan Johan, the DAP MP for Bangi, condemned Sharif's statement, saying that nobody should exploit the sinkhole tragedy, or any tragedy, to attack their political opponents.
Johan criticised Sharif and said that young politicians should embrace a new kind of politics, suggesting that it would be more productive for him to foster healthy competition and provide checks and balances on the government.
Instead, PAS was “trapped in playing with outdated and extreme political rhetoric”, as quoted by Free Malaysia Today.
Rebuttal
But Malaysia's Federal Territories Minister Zaliha Mustafa had an even more cutting rebuttal.
Arguing that the Surah Al-Ankabut that the PAS youth leader had cited also contained stories about great floods, Zaliha then asked whether it was appropriate to say that Kelantan's own massive floods in the past were also considered “divine retribution" for the wrongs of the state's PAS leaders.
PAS has controlled Kelantan since 1990.
MalaysiaKini quotes Zaliha as saying “If calamities occur to them (PAS) it is called a test, but if it happens in other states, it is termed as retribution.”
Zaliha chided PAS, saying that they needed to learn to become a more constructive opposition, and needed to read more and look for facts.
“Ignorant arguments reveal our ignorance as well.”
She also disputed Sharif’s interpretation of the National Geographic documentary he had watched.
Rather than an indictment of KL’s building techniques, Zaliha said the documentary had used KL city centre as an example of how technology could overcome the challenges of building on soft soil, and that it was a celebration of Malaysia’s achievement.
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Top image via PAS Permuda/Facebook & China Press