Mohamad Sabu, commonly known as Mat Sabu, is a Malaysian politician, currently serving as the Deputy President of the opposition Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party. He was elected to the post in 2011, running on a moderate platform against the conservative incumbent Nasharudin Mat Isa

Nasharudin Mat Isa

Nasharudin Mat Isa is a Malaysian politician and is currently the Member of the Parliament of Malaysia for the Bachok constituency in Kelantan.Nasharudin attended the University of Glasgow, before as a Member of Parliament for Yan from 1999 to 2004...

. He had previously served as one of the party's vice-presidents. He was the first non-alim

Ulama

-In Islam:* Ulema, also transliterated "ulama", a community of legal scholars of Islam and its laws . See:**Nahdlatul Ulama **Darul-uloom Nadwatul Ulama **Jamiatul Ulama Transvaal**Jamiat ul-Ulama -Other:...

elected to the party's leadership or deputy leadership in over 25 years.

Mat Sabu is known for his public speaking abilities. He has twice been detained under Malaysia's Internal Security Act

Internal Security Act (Malaysia)

The Internal Security Act 1960 is a preventive detention law in force in Malaysia. The legislation was enacted after Malaysia gained independence from Britain in 1957. The ISA allows for detention without trial or criminal charges under limited, legally defined circumstances...

.

Statement over the Bukit Kepong incident

On 21 August 2011 during a speech in Gelugor

Gelugor

Gelugor is a town located at the southern part of Georgetown, a midway town between Georgetown and Sungai Dua...

, Penang

Penang

Penang is a state in Malaysia and the name of its constituent island, located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia by the Strait of Malacca. It is bordered by Kedah in the north and east, and Perak in the south. Penang is the second smallest Malaysian state in area after Perlis, and the...

, Mohamad Sabu delivered a controversial statement by saying that it was Muhammad Indera and the 200 Malayan Communist Party

Malayan Communist Party

The Malayan Communist Party , officially known as the Communist Party of Malaya , was founded in 1930 and laid down its arms in 1989. It is most famous for its role in the Malayan Emergency.-Formation:...

 (PKM) terrorist soldiers during the 1950 Bukit Kepong Incident

Bukit Kepong Incident

Bukit Kepong Incident was an armed encounter which took place on February 23, 1950 between the Federation of Malaya Police and the communist terrorists of Malayan Communist Party during the Malayan Emergency. This conflict took place in an area surrounding the Bukit Kepong police station in Bukit...

 who deserved to be claimed as "national heroes" and not the police officers

Royal Malaysian Police

The Royal Malaysia Police is a part of the security forces structure in Malaysia. The force is a centralised organization with responsibilities ranging from traffic control to intelligence gathering. Its headquarters is located at Bukit Aman, Kuala Lumpur. The police force is led by an...

 who fought to their deaths defending the Bukit Kepong police station, claiming that all police officers during the massacre as the "British officers" and the PKM soldiers are "true national heroes" as they "fought the British". The speech, which video had been widely circulated in YouTube

YouTube

YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....

, had caused a major uproar throughout Malaysia, as the statement was regarded as an insult to the family members of the deceased victims, as well as other national heroes not affiliated with the PKM such as the late Tunku Abdul Rahman

Tunku Abdul Rahman

Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Al-Haj ibni Almarhum Sultan Abdul Hamid Halim Shah, AC, CH was Chief Minister of the Federation of Malaya from 1955, and the country's first Prime Minister from independence in 1957. He remained as the Prime Minister after Sabah, Sarawak, and Singapore joined the...

 and Dato' Onn Jaafar

Onn Jaafar

Dato' Sir Onn bin Ja'afar, KBE was a Malay politician and a Menteri Besar of Johore in Malaysia, then Malaya. He was the founder of United Malays National Organization and was also responsible for the social economic welfare of the Malays by setting up the Rural Industrial Development Authority...

.

On 30 August 2011, Karpal Singh

Karpal Singh

Karpal Singh is a Malaysian lawyer and politician, who has been the Member of Parliament for the neighbourhood of Bukit Gelugor in the state of Penang since 2004...

, MP of Bukit Gelugor

Bukit Gelugor

Bukit Gelugor is a residential neighbourhood in Penang, Malaysia, located just north of Gelugor Village. The name literally translates as 'Gelugor Hill' in the Malay language. The area was one of the oldest suburban housing areas in Penang, and has many old colonial-style bungalows that are still...

 responded saying that the 25 policemen were true nationalists and that Mat Sabu's statements were ill-advised. .

However, the Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS) denied all the allegations and defended Mohamad Sabu's statement and claims.