KUALA LUMPUR – Hate speech surged during Malaysia’s bitterly contested general elections last November, according to a study of social media that also found Parti Islam SeMalaysia (PAS) and its president Hadi Awang to be the prime proponents of racial rhetoric.

Although PAS is now in the opposition as part of the Perikatan Nasional (PN) coalition, it ended up as the largest party in Malaysia’s Parliament for the first time, with 43 MPs in the 222-strong chamber.