CNA – Parti Islam Se-Malaysia (PAS) president Abdul Hadi Awang’s remarks that the Perikatan Nasional (PN) coalition will attempt to topple the government has stirred controversy, with the Malaysian police announcing that investigations will be conducted against him.
According to a Bernama report on Thursday, Sentul District Police Chief Beh Eng Lai said that police received reports lodged by Parti Amanah Negara (Amanah) and Parti Keadilan Rakyat’s (PKR) Selangor youth wing the day before.
“The case will be investigated by Bukit Aman’s Classified Crime Investigation Unit,” he said at a press conference when asked about developments on the case.
The reports lodged by the Pakatan Harapan (PH) component parties were in connection with Abdul Hadi’s statement that PN and the opposition bloc were making plans to topple the unity government led by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.
The unity government comprises PH, Barisan Nasional, Gabungan Parti Sarawak and Gabungan Rakyat Sabah, among others.
“It is very unbecoming of a Member of Parliament (MP) to make a statement saying there are efforts by the opposition to topple the government,” said Amanah exco member Fadhli Umar Aminolhuda after lodging the police report.
“Such a statement will only lead to trouble and disrupt public order.”
On Tuesday, Amanah President Mohamad Sabu expressed concern that Abdul Hadi’s remarks would drive away investors from the country.
“When a big leader like (Abdul) Hadi Awang mentions (the desire to) change the government, (and) not through elections, it can scare and unsettle investors,” he said in a video posted on Facebook.
“It is known … that the change of three prime ministers in a short time has affected the flow of investments to Malaysia.”
On Monday, local media reported Abdul Hadi as saying that based on Malaysia’s democratic system, no one had the right to stop PN’s efforts to topple the government of the day.
He said that such an attempt can be done either through a vote of no-confidence or via statutory declarations, according to Bernama.
“This is normal in a democratic country (such as Malaysia),” he was quoted as saying by the New Straits Times.
He added that the king’s decree is not “the final word” to prevent change from happening in a democratic country.
“We still uphold democracy based on our constitutional monarchy,” he reportedly said.
He had previously cautioned the government against blaming the opposition if the government collapses again, saying that the blame should be placed on the government’s own flaws and weaknesses instead.
