PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang said it was not Perikatan Nasional’s (PN) way to shop for members of parliament to overthrow the current government.  

In a Facebook post, Hadi said PN did not rely on money or promises to entice MPs as they believed in democratic ideals. 

“Any move to overthrow the government must have come from parties that have money. 

“The government controls money and can influence those who seek projects to generate funds in the easiest way. 

“As for the opposition, our rightful allocations have been blocked, with (party) funds getting frozen and confiscated. 

“And those who support the opposition are subjected to restrictions and face difficulties because they are considered a threat to the government,” Hadi said. 

The Marang MP was referring to the Dubai Move, a plot that Community Communications Department (J-Kom) deputy director-general Ismail Yusop alleged last Saturday was meant to topple the federal government. 

Ismail said the plan arose during a recent vacation by PN leaders, as well as government backbenchers, to the United Arab Emirates (UAE). 

Ismail also claimed a meeting took place during the visit to assign specific tasks to “agents” responsible for identifying MPs who might switch their support to the opposition with inducements. 

The alleged plot to topple the government was then confirmed by Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi who said it not only involved PN leaders but certain individuals from the government bloc as well. 

Kedah Menteri Besar Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor, however, said the meeting to overthrow the government happened in Kuala Lumpur instead. 

Bersatu Youth chief Wan Ahmad Fayhsal Wan Ahmad Kamal dismissed Sanusi’s remarks, saying the latter was just “teasing”. 

Meanwhile, Hadi said PAS would only respect changes in government via the democratic process while respecting the constitutional monarchy. 

“In a democracy, changes happen through election, when enough number of elected leaders support a vote of no confidence, or by signing statutory declarations. 

“This comes with majority support – without force or being bribed using positions or money. 

“That is why we backed out of street demonstrations years back as it was negatively impacting the people and we rely on public donations,” he added. – January 5, 2024.