From mud-slinging to ‘Dajjal’: our heartfelt gratitude to Hadi

The PAS president, Abdul Hadi Awang, has revolutionized Malaysian politics by replacing mundane terms with apocalyptic language, elevating political discourse to an unprecedented level. Critics may decry his highly polarizing rhetoric, but they fail to appreciate the artistic mastery behind his negative vocabulary. Hadi's unique approach to politics is best exemplified by his use of the "Dajjal approach," which equates political compromises with the false Messiah, suggesting that such compromises lead to Armageddon.

The former president has also simplified complex issues such as financial crime, blaming non-Muslims and non-Bumiputeras for corruption. In parliamentary debates, Hadi uses grammar to make a point, referring to Westerners as "ekor" (tails) to disparage them. His inconsistency in political alliances has led to his dismissal of his critics as "uneducated."

Despite his shifting allegiances, Hadi's political career has been likened to a safari, where he diagnoses political opponents and assigns them fitting labels. Perhaps the most ironic aspect of Hadi's political language is the use of sacred Islamic vocabulary to engage in everyday, transactional mud-slinging. The irony lies in the moral inversion created by using the language of faith to justify such behavior.