Pahang mufti Abdul Rahman Osman was told by Raub MP Mohd Ariff Sabri Abdul Aziz today not to make the Malays more stupid with his statement that Muslims should not oppose the implementation of the goods and services tax (GST).

Ariff ( right ), who is also known by his pseudonym Sakmongkol 47, said in his latest blog posting that Rahman should not have said so as he has no expertise in economics.

“If you do not know about the GST, or only know the 'T' behind it, do not use this as an attempt to make Malays, for whom Islam is their religion, to become more stupid. Many times there are attempts to make Malays stupid.

“When we wanted to remove the automated enforcement system (AES) fine for speeding on highways, the Malays rose to reject it. They demonstrated for wanting to continue to pay the fine.

“When we wanted free tertiary education implemented and the National Higher Education Fund dropped, the Malays also objected. Now with GST, which increases our high living costs, the mufti asks us to support it,” Ariff said.

The Raub MP, said he knows Rahman personally and described him as a good person with lovely manners. However, the mufti should know how to differentiate his personal self from the issues.

Merely supporting his paymaster?

A religious scholar has the right to voice their opinions on religious matters . But, he asked, has Rahman done a thorough research on GST to speak up on the matter, or is what he is saying is merely to support the government that pays his wages?

“Not all people are allowed to give Friday sermons, unless they are qualified. We are questioning Rahman's credentials to speak on the GST.”

When there are religious scholars talking about the management of worldly affairs, Ariff said, it was a sign that society was becoming more ill.

In a kleptocracy, he added, where the government is riddled with corruption and the embezzlement of state funds taking place, what happens to religious scholars who, together with the executive, discriminate the people?

“We have seen the people rise against religious scholars who support a government that discriminates the people. In Europe, similarly, we have seen the people rise against priests who use religion to discriminate the people.

“Rulers also sided with the people to break the monopoly of the church. If the rulers go against the people, once again the people will go against the rulers. If there is no full revolution, what we will see is their powers being reduced,” Ariff warned.