'Anwar Ibrahim is the great betrayer'

Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim is the great betrayer who has done much damage to Umno and must be opposed, said a delegate at the Malay party’s general assembly today.

“He is the modern day Abdullah bin Saba’ (said to be one of the founders of Shiism),” decried Umno Youth information chief Reezal Merican Naina Merican.

Anwar was once Umno deputy president, the next in line for the premiership and the second most powerful man in the BN-led government after then-PM Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

Anwar's crisis with Mahathir in 1998 saw him fall from grace and accused of sodomy and abuse of power, before he rose to lead the opposition.

Reezal likened Anwar to Abdullah bin Saba’, a munafik or false Muslim from Islam’s past, who was allegedly behind the murder of the third Muslim caliph, Usman bin Affan.

The Umno Youth leader then asked the delegates to name a person right now who is a great traitor to the party, like Abdullah was to Islam.

To this, some of the delegates chanted Anwar’s name.

Reezal (left) then said that as the delegates themselves have named Anwar as the modern-day Abdullah bin Saba’, then their purpose in the upcoming 13th general election was clear.

They must fight to defeat the ‘great betrayer’ and and reclaim all they lost to Anwar’s betrayal.

‘Nik Aziz the chief misleader’

Reezal then shifted his sights to PAS spiritual leader Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat.

He claimed that in Malaysia, Umno was the enabler of Islam as it had administered the advancement of the faith in its role as the federal government.

As such, he said, it was unthinkable for Umno, which had contributed so much to the faith, to be labelled as apostate or  having left the religion.

What was surprising, opined Reezal, was that the statement that Umno members were apostates came from the PAS murshidul 'am or spiritual adviser.

The title murshidul, Reezal said, conferred great respect as it meant an enlightened leader.

However, he said, if Nik Aziz were to spout such accusations, he was not a ‘murshidul’ or enlightened leader, but more like ‘mudhilul’ or misleader.

“Nik Aziz is the number one misleader,” accused Reezal.