The Permanent Resident (PR) status of televangelist Dr Zakir Naik can be revoked by Putrajaya should it be proven that his actions have harmed the country’s well-being, Malaysian Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad said on Friday (Aug 16), reports Malay Mail.



However, the veteran politician also said the government will first wait for the result of the police investigation into the fugitive preacher’s alleged inflammatory remarks against minorities in Malaysia.
“He has PR status. We can take that away that if he does something that is detrimental to the well-being of the nation,” he told the media, referring to Dr Zakir’s status.
“At this moment the police are investigating if he is doing that or not. If he is doing it, then it is necessary for us to take away his PR status.
“We will need to take action to prevent him from making such speeches, which tend to pit races against each other,” he added after an official visit to AirAsia RedQ headquarters.
“We leave it to the police to investigate the seriousness of the statements that he has made,” he said.
Dr Zakir was granted Malaysian PR status in 2015 under the Barisan Nasional administration.
Federal police are currently investigating him under Section 504 of the Penal Code for the intentional insult with intent to provoke a breach of the peace after getting 115 public complaints about his latest remarks during a lecture in Kota Baru, Kelantan on earlier this month.
Dr Mahathir was previously seen as protective of the 53-year-old Islamic evangelist when he rejected an extradition request from India where Dr Zakir is wanted money laundering and hate speech charges.
Dr Zakir has been evading Indian authorities since 2016, when files were opened against him for allegedly making hate speeches and laundering money after five militants launched an attack on a bakery in Dhaka, Bangladesh that ended with 29 dead, the report added.