Lighad comment draws condemnation as Eric See-To says he will lodge his own police report

KUALA LUMPUR: A comment by political commentator Eric See-To about the Arabic word "lighad", used by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim in his 2027 budget speech, has drawn condemnation from politicians who said it showed disrespect towards a word that appears in the Quran.

UMNO Youth chief Datuk Dr Muhamad Akmal Saleh demanded that See-To apologise publicly and said a police report would be lodged against him.

"We demand that you apologise publicly, and a police report will also be lodged," he said, in a statement that also used harsh language towards See-To.

See-To said he had not known the word appeared in the Quran when he wrote his original comment, and said he would lodge a police report against those he accuses of editing his comment and adding a Quranic excerpt to the screenshot.

The official text of the Fifth MADANI Budget 2027 speech, published by the Prime Minister's Office and the Finance Ministry, shows that Anwar cited Surah al-Hashr, verse 18, in the third paragraph of his address to the Dewan Rakyat on Oct 9.

The verse contains the Arabic phrase "وَلْتَنظُرْ نَفْسٌ مَّا قَدَّمَتْ لِغَدٍ". The official translation in the speech text reads: let every soul look to what it has sent ahead for tomorrow, with the hereafter given in parentheses.

In the paragraph that followed, Anwar explained the term.

"The expression lighad, which refers to tomorrow, carries a demand both vast and profound," he said.

He went on to say that the country was called to think ahead and lay firm foundations for the future, to examine which doors it was opening or widening, and to weigh the legacy it would leave to coming generations.

His use of the term in a budget speech applied the idea of preparing for tomorrow to national planning. It was not a claim that the verse is solely about economic policy.

See-To's original comment, which circulated as a screenshot, read: "What I see is that there is lighad, which I have no idea at all what it means. But there is no 'liwat' either."

In the same comment, he questioned another word from the budget speech, writing: "Is Pranata the same as Planta?"

The word "liwat" refers to sodomy. Anwar was convicted in two related cases in the past and has consistently denied the charges, maintaining that he was the victim of a political conspiracy.

Several unfamiliar terms in the budget speech drew public attention, among them "waad", meaning a promise or pledge, along with "lighad" and "seyogia".

Anwar himself later posted a Leksikon Belanjawan 2027 infographic on social media explaining 14 terms from his speech, with "lighad" glossed as for tomorrow.

According to See-To, his original comment referred to such a list of unusual words, presented in a newspaper graphic with the translation "for the future", rather than to the Quranic verse.

Angkatan Muda Keadilan information chief Danish Hairudin said criticism of the government should focus on budget policy and figures rather than bringing scripture into political mockery.

Several DAP leaders also condemned the comment. Setia Impian DAP branch chairman Muhammad Shakir Ameer Mohideen said comparing a word from the Quran with sexually charged language was offensive to Muslims.

See-To maintained that his comment addressed the use of a word, not a verse of scripture.

"In that context I was commenting on the use of a word, not belittling a holy verse," he said.

The Quranic excerpt, he said, was added by other parties to material later circulated alongside his comment.

"I will lodge a police report against the parties who edited and added that Quranic excerpt," he said. He did not publicly name them.

See-To also directed part of the responsibility at Anwar.

"Who told PMX to use words that many ordinary people do not understand in a budget speech?" he wrote in a separate post.

Separately, senator and former Bachok MP Nik Abduh Nik Abdul Aziz defended See-To.

"Eric, you did nothing wrong. It was only a misunderstanding caused by a ceplos trap. Keep hunting," he said.

Nik Abduh did not say which party had added the verse.

The Quranic verse was indeed part of the official text of the budget speech. Whether See-To had read that passage, or only a graphic listing unusual words, before writing his comment is a separate question that cannot be independently established.

The claim that the screenshot of his comment was edited has also not been verified by the authorities, and whoever is accused of adding the Quranic excerpt has not been formally identified.

Calls for police reports have been reported, but they do not by themselves establish that any party committed a criminal offence. No investigation or legal action has been announced in connection with either of the reports mentioned.

Eric See-To is also known as Eric Lim Sian See in some media reports.