PAS today demanded a full audit into the establishment of an RM30 million strategy unit by the Youth and Sports Ministry, which is said to be for financing 2,000 programmes for sacked PAS leader Hasan Ali.

NONE In making the call, the Islamist party's vice-president Mahfuz Omar said the sum for the Strategy Unit, placed under the Youth Development division, has been collected from other units in the ministry and it is "like an Umno branch" within the ministry to finance political programmes.

"I am made to understand that this unit will help fund Hasan's activities to pull the youth to eventually support Umno and BN.

"It is like having Hasan's Jati (the organisation set up by Hasan) inside the ministry," he said

"Through our research, we know that 60 to 70 percent of the new voters, who are mostly youth, do not support Umno and BN.

"This unit is tasked with the mission of turning over the youth to support the ruling government."

The PAS vice-president also claimed that the whole allocation, or at least a portion of the RM30 million, is allocated for Hasan's programmes nationwide.

Minister accuses Mahfuz of lying

As a result of this, Mahfuz said, a full audit has to be conducted on the ministry to find out why such a unit, which is not listed in the ministry directory, is tasked with doing this for Umno, with the use of money from taxpayers.

Mahfuz said the unit is headed by one Engku Mohd Azman Engku Mohd Basar, and it functions like the Special Affairs division under the Prime Minister’s Department.

“Why is there a need for such a unit to serve Umno?” he asked.

He also stated there are further discrepancy which he detected in the ministry with regard to the 17 National Youth Skills Institutes nationwide where the canteen is only awarded to a single contractor.

shabery cheek at world development information day 301008 03 “This matter goes against the government’s move to set up more entrepreneurs as the cake is only given to a single contractor,” he said.

Mahfuz also questioned why the move to improve the infrastructure at these institutes had increased from initially at RM26 million to RM36 million, and whether the project was awarded via open tender.

In an immediate response, Youth and Sports Minister Ahmad Shabery Cheek ( right ) accused Mahfuz of lying and was acting "childish".

"I think he is sick and needs counselling attention," said the minister in an SMS response to Malaysiakini .

“I think he has a troubled mind as he is afraid over the rising of Hasan’s popularity compared to PAS talk. Furthermore Kedah PAS, where Mahfuz hails from, is facing problems which cannot be resolved.

“I utterly deny the allegation made by Mahfuz as it is merely a lie and is directed to deflect the problems Kedah is facing,” said the minister.