Mat Sabu hurls skullcap in stunt admonishing PAS' receipt of Umno funds

Amanah president Mohamad Sabu hurled his skullcap (kopiah) in a speech admonishing PAS for receiving Umno funds last night.

Mohamad, who was part of PAS for 38 years, said activists such as himself had toiled for the party and spent time in detention only to have certain leaders do backdoor dealings with Umno for funding.

"We spoke at ceramah everywhere, sat in lock up – all to build the party, but they were taking money (from Umno) in the dark.

"If an Islamic party does this, we are worried that it will hurt the image of the religion," he exclaimed in a speech in Pasir Mas, as he threw his skullcap on the table.

The skullcap is considered synonymous with the conservatives in PAS, which was also the faction that had been engaging with Umno.

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

Along with his progressive allies, he subsequently formed splinter party Amanah. The party and its Pakatan Harapan partners captured federal power in the 2018 general election.

Mohamad, the defence minister, was referring to PAS central committee member Nik Abduh Nik Abdul Aziz's (photo) admission that PAS had taken millions from Umno in an audio recording.

Nik Abduh had initially denied the audio recording's authenticity, but later admitted that it was real, claiming that he had lied with the blessings of PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang.

Mohamad, better known as Mat Sabu, said PAS had in the past ensured that all forms of political cooperation were discussed among party leaders – including with BN, Semangat 46, PKR and DAP.

However, he said in later years, certain leaders had engaged Umno behind the scenes.

"Why negotiate with Umno in the dark? Why not in the open? Because it involved money.

"What followed were accusations and counter-accusations, as well as slander with claims that such person met a minister to bring back money," he said.

Mohamad said this served as a lesson for Amanah leaders to ensure that all decisions go through its leadership meetings. - Mkini