AN UMNO veteran has alleged that PAS and its president, Tan Sri Abdul Hadi Awang, are attempting to topple the unity government for their own benefit.
Former Johor Bahru MP Tan Sri Shahrir Abdul Samad said government leaders should take Hadi’s recent warning claiming the eventual fall of the Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim-led unity government seriously.
He claimed that this was due to PAS’ involvement in the downfall of the Pakatan Harapan (PH) government led by Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad in 2020.
“Now once again PAS is starting to take steps to topple the unity government and reinstate a PAS-sponsored government,” Shahrir said in a Facebook post.
“It worked once before. So, they will try again for a second time. Hadi has already warned in early March 2023. So, wait and see.”
He was responding to a March 1 news report in which Hadi stated that the current government led by Anwar is expected to fall in the near future.
However, the Marang MP wasn’t specific on the manner in which the unity government will fall.
Shahrir also recounted the PAS leader meeting Dr Mahathir on several occasions leading up to the PH government’s downfall.
He stated that the first meeting took place during the Semenyih state by-election in February 2019, when Hadi had met Mahathir, who was prime minister back then.
“After two meetings with Dr Mahathir, Hadi issued a statement supporting the former Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) chairman as prime minister until the end of the 14th parliamentary term,” he said.
Soon after, Shahrir added that six Barisan Nasional (BN) MPs had declared their support for Dr Mahathir without UMNO’s knowledge.
“Their statements were made before the Tanjung Piai parliamentary by-election.
“These two declarations of support were the early stages of the “Sheraton Move” where PAS and a group of UMNO-BN MPs supported Dr Mahathir as prime minister,” he said.
The “Sheraton Move” was dubbed as such due to the gathering of lawmakers at the Sheraton Hotel in Petaling Jaya, just before the PH administration collapsed in February 2020.
At that time, several prominent factions within PH had a clandestine meeting with several BN leaders that had subsequently led to the formation of a new government under Bersatu president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin in March. – March 6, 2023
Main pic credit: UMNO Online
