"What must be avoided is a coup d'etat by the deep state or undemocratic apparatus."

– Saifuddin Abdullah

COMMENT | Maybe the next time former PKR man Saifuddin Abdullah uses a disingenuous argument as to why Pakatan Harapan did not amend laws or carry out reforms when they were in power, Harapan could point out that Saifuddin was part of fellow party defector Azmin Ali’s "deep state" that was sabotaging Harapan from within.

The smugness in which Saifuddin (above) carries out his role as a potentate in the Perikatan Nasional (PN) government has always rankled.

After all, Azmin's deep state brought down the Harapan government. The current communications and multimedia minister once claimed that the deep state was out to destroy the democratic will of the people of this country.

When it came to human rights reforms, specifically the Rome Statute this is what Saifuddin publicly claimed: “It can be inside the government and you can’t identify it. It is an agent provocateur paid by certain quarters to create fear among the public.

"On social media, they distribute all kinds of stories and campaigns. It could be fake news, half-truths, but the idea is to stop certain reforms from going through or to sabotage good projects from being carried out.”

It is funny that what Saifuddin is describing as a concerted effort to destroy Harapan is exactly the kind of tactics and propaganda used by the Azmin deep state to sow confusion and distrust amongst the Harapan base.

This misinformation campaign combined with the old maverick’s open hostility to Harapan's reform agenda and the succession plan were all part of an elaborate shadow play which...