KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia - Malaysia's largest Islamic opposition party vowed on Thursday to defy police bans on its politico-religious lectures, saying it knew no other way to reach people while the government controlled the media.
The Parti Islam se-Malaysia (PAS), which is run by Muslim clerics and uses the lectures to criticise the government of Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, said it would not halt its ceramahs as the gatherings are called.
"As far as ceramah is concerned, we are going to continue organising it," PAS secretary-general Nasharuddin Mat Isa told Reuters. "This is the only medium that we have to come to the people and explain things."
Mahathir accuses PAS of misusing religion. Police have stopped approving opposition ceramahs, saying they are concerned over security at such events.
Under the law, a police permit is necessary for any gathering of more than five persons. Unconfirmed reports said nine people were arrested this week for taking part in illegal ceramahs.
Mahathir has expressed hurt in speeches of late at the way in which some PAS activists have described him as "evil" and as a modern-day "pharaoh" more intent building his new capital in Putrajaya than caring for ordinary people.
Anti-government speeches and demonstrations, rare in Malaysia until three years ago, became commonplace after Anwar Ibrahim, Mahathir's rival and former deputy, was sacked and jailed in 1998.
Police have locked up leading activists belonging to Keadilan, the PAS ally led by Anwar's wife, accusing them of organising street demonstrations. Riot police have used water cannons to disperse gatherings of Anwar supporters.
Hitherto, PAS ceramahs had not been targeted, and more than a dozen were being held each night around the country.
The PAS clerics' strong, and sometimes humorous, rhetoric strikes a chord with the Muslim Malays, particularly those living in rural areas.
"We have been denied rights on TV and radio and in the newspapers. And now even the right to hold ceramah is being denied," newspapers quoted PAS President Fadzil Noor as saying.
The government keeps a lid on publishing permits that can be revoked or amended at any time. The PAS party newspaper, Harakah, used to print twice weekly before being restricted to twice a month.
Anwar's ouster, and subsequent imprisonment on sex and corruption charges he denied, hit support for the government in the 1999 general elections and strengthened the hand of PAS, which led a coalition of opposition parties supporting Anwar.
06:03 08-02-01
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