'False': US embassy disputes Hadi's claim on offer to topple BN govt

The United States embassy said that PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang’s claim that the country's representatives had offered the Islamist party assistance to topple the then-BN administration, is false.

"The US has never sought to determine Malaysia’s political leadership. Any account to the contrary is false," David H Gamble Jr, who is in charge of the embassy in Kuala Lumpur, said in a short statement to Malaysiakini early this morning.

In his winding-up speech at the 72nd PAS muktamar in Kota Bharu yesterday, Hadi said that the purported offer was extended during one of former US president Barack Obama’s visits to Malaysia, when several PAS leaders were invited to an event at the US embassy in Kuala Lumpur.

Both of Obama’s visits to Malaysia in 2014 and 2015 happened during Najib Abdul Razak’s premiership, who is imprisoned after being convicted in 2020 on seven charges involving abuse of power, criminal breach of trust, and money laundering linked to RM42 million in SRC International funds.

Hadi noted that the matter occurred when PAS was part of the Pakatan Rakyat coalition, and said that party secretary-general Takiyuddin Hassan and vice-president Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar, who were his political secretaries at the time, were also in attendance at the event.

Hadi said he fulfilled the invitation together with former PAS secretary-general Mustafa Ali.

Rayer wants investigation, PSM mocks PAS

Following the allegations, Jelutong MP RSN Rayer called on the government to investigate, expressing concern over the seriousness of the matter.

In a statement, he also questioned as to why Hadi did not alert Najib, the Home Ministry, Foreign Ministry, the police or the relevant national security agencies.

He also labelled the affair as "treachery" and "treason".

"PAS cannot demand transparency and accountability from others while remaining silent about an allegation of this magnitude involving a foreign government especially the US.

"The US officials involved could have been immediately arrested. Why did PAS stay silent all this while?

"This is a national security issue and not something to boast about casually at a party muktamar," he added.

Rayer said that Malaysians deserve to know who attended that meeting, when and where it took place, who authorised it, what was discussed and, most importantly, whether any foreign government representatives were involved in any attempt to influence, destabilise or facilitate the removal of a duly elected Malaysian government.

"This is not about PAS, Pakatan Harapan, BN or Perikatan Nasional. This is about Malaysia," he added.

PSM deputy chairperson S Arutchelvan criticised Hadi over his account, and questioned the party’s past engagement with US officials.

He contrasted this with PSM’s approach, saying that while many Malaysian NGOs and political leaders had been eager to meet Obama and have their photographs taken during his visit, PSM had instead declined the invitation.

He said that the party's then chairperson Dr Michael Jeyakumar also wrote an open letter to Obama expressing the party’s criticism of US foreign policy and its impact on the world.

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