Lies and more lies, Mat Sabu says of his former party

Amanah president Mohamad Sabu today condemned his former party for what he claimed was a string of recent lies.

Mohamad, better known as Mat Sabu, said these lies eroded trust in the Islamist party and also hurt the image of Islam.

"They can't be trusted. Everything they say is lies. They have even said that lying is necessary for them," he told a press conference after officiating the Pasir Mas Amanah office in Kampung Jias, Pasir Mas today.

"It has been proven that PAS is a party of lies and they have themselves admitted to it in the audio recording matter," he said.

Mohamad was referring to PAS central committee member Nik Abduh Nik Abdul Aziz's admission that he had lied when he denied that it was his voice in an audio recording saying that PAS received money from Umno.

Nik Abduh had claimed he lied with PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang's blessing but Hadi claimed ignorance when asked about it.

PAS spiritual leader Hashim Jasin (above) had likened Nik Abduh to Prophet Muhammad's friend who had lied to split the enemies of Islam.

More recently, Mohamad said was PAS assisting the Umno candidate in the Semenyih by-election on nomination day despite allegedly promising not to back Umno after Hadi met with Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

After Mahathir went public with the PAS' undertaking, PAS kept its position vague, stating that its commitment and involvement in the Semenyih by-election would be "different" from the Cameron Highlands by-election but did not say outright if it would fully support Umno or not.

PAS did not participate in the Jan 26 Cameron Highlands by-election but campaigned aggressively for Umno. It will also be sitting out of the Semenyih by-election.

Mohamad said he believed such lies would erode support for PAS.

"I am confident that PAS members will lose faith in their party which has leaders who like to lie," he said.

Mohamad was formerly the PAS deputy president. He led a progressive faction which was purged by conservatives forces in the 2015 party election.

Mohamad, along with his progressive allies, subsequently formed Amanah, a PAS splinter party.

Amanah, along with its Pakatan Harapan partners, captured federal power in the 2018 general election. - Mkini