US rejects claim it sought to influence Malaysian politics
The US Embassy in Malaysia rejected a claim that the United States had sought to determine the country’s political leadership. Chargé d’Affaires of the United States David G. Gamble Jr. said on September 6 that the United States had never sought to decide who should lead Malaysia, calling claims to the contrary false.
US Embassy statement
The US diplomat’s statement was published on the embassy’s Facebook page. It came in response to remarks by PAS party leader Abdul Hadi Awang, who said that in 2014 the United States had allegedly offered the party help in overthrowing Malaysia’s government. Channel NewsAsia reports.
PAS leadership’s version
According to Malaysian media reports, Abdul Hadi Awang spoke about the alleged offer at the PAS annual congress. According to him, this happened around the time of then-US President Barack Obama’s visit to Malaysia in 2014.
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Awang claimed that several PAS leaders were invited to a meeting at the US Embassy in Kuala Lumpur while the party was still part of the Pakatan Rakyat coalition. According to his version, the meeting was attended by PAS deputy secretary-general Takiyuddin Hassan and Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar, who was then his political secretary.
The PAS leader said embassy representatives raised the issue of possible assistance to the party in overthrowing the government and taking power. According to him, PAS representatives rejected the possibility of such foreign interference. He also claimed that the then US ambassador separately asked him whom PAS could propose for the post of prime minister if it came to power.
Takiyuddin Hassan confirmed that a meeting with US Embassy representatives took place, but said the conversation did not go beyond a question of whether PAS had plans to overthrow the Barisan Nasional coalition government. He added that party representatives did not say whether they had such intentions.
