PETALING JAYA: The United States has rejected PAS president Tan Sri Abdul Hadi Awang’s claim that Washington had previously sought to influence Malaysia’s political leadership.
US Embassy in Malaysia Chargé d’Affaires David H. Gamble Jr said the United States had never sought to determine Malaysia’s political leadership.
“Any account to the contrary is false,” he said in a statement yesterday.
On Saturday, the PAS president alleged that a US Embassy representative had once asked the party whom it would propose as prime minister if it took over the government.
Abdul Hadi made the claim during his winding-up speech at the 72nd PAS muktamar. He added the meeting took place when the party was part of the Pakatan Rakyat coalition.
Abdul Hadi said a US ambassador had requested to meet him and that he attended the meeting with former PAS secretary-general Datuk Mustafa Ali.
“The ambassador asked, ‘Who does PAS propose as prime minister?’ I asked him back, ‘Who does America agree with?’
“When I told (ex-prime minister) Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad about the meeting, he said it was a good response,” he said.
