Kit Siang wrong, I never lobbied to be PM, Hadi says

Abdul Hadi Awang with Lim Kit Siang and Anwar Ibrahim in Parliament in 2013. Hadi says he never approached DAP to pitch for the prime minister’s post. (Bernama pic)

PETALING JAYA: PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang has denied lobbying for the prime minister’s post, a day after Lim Kit Siang reiterated his claim that DAP’s rejection of this was at the heart of the bad blood between the two parties.

“As far as I remember, PAS never put itself forth as a candidate for prime minister, or prime minister-in-waiting.

“Maybe Lim’s memory is better, or his assumptions are bigger,” he said in a Facebook post this morning.

Yesterday, Lim claimed Hadi had approached the DAP leadership to pitch for the prime minister’s post ahead of the 2013 general election.

He said DAP’s rejection of Hadi had caused PAS to regard it as an enemy.

“The reason why Hadi and other PAS leaders are telling lies about DAP being anti-Malay and anti-Islam is because DAP refused to support Hadi as the prime ministerial candidate,” he said.

When asked about Hadi’s denial today, Lim, who is in Cameron Highlands to campaign for Pakatan Harapan (PH) in the upcoming by-election, merely said: “Do you expect him to admit it?”

Meanwhile, Amanah president Mohamad Sabu, who was PAS deputy president at the time, said in a short response to FMT that he was not privy to any such meeting.

DAP had been part of the Pakatan Rakyat coalition, along with PAS and PKR. The coalition collapsed following the spat between DAP and PAS over the Islamic state.

DAP and PKR now form the PH coalition, together with PPBM and Amanah. -FMT