A leading figure in Malaysian politics has alleged that a foreign power once offered to assist his Islamist party in toppling the country’s sitting government. Abdul Hadi Awang, President of Parti Islam Se-Malaysia (PAS) and a prominent religious scholar, disclosed the details during his closing address at the party’s 72nd annual general assembly, held at the Pusat Tarbiyah Islamiyah Kelantan in Pengkalan Chepa, Kota Bharu.
According to Hadi, the overture occurred in 2014 coinciding with a high-profile visit to Malaysia by former US President Barack Obama. At the time, PAS was a constituent party within Pakatan Rakyat, the primary opposition bloc of the era. Senior representatives from PAS received an invitation to meet officials at the United States Embassy in Kuala Lumpur.
Takiyuddin Hassan, then the Assistant Secretary-General of PAS, and Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar, who served as Hadi’s political secretary, attended the embassy gathering on behalf of the party leadership. Hadi claimed embassy figures expressed readiness to assist opposition elements in bringing down the ruling administration and seizing political power. The two PAS envoys rejected the offer, refusing to leverage external interference to achieve domestic political objectives.
Following the diplomatic encounter, the US Ambassador requested a private meeting with Hadi. Accompanied by former PAS Secretary-General Mustafa Ali, Hadi attended the session, where the ambassador inquired who PAS supported as Malaysia’s next prime minister.
“Guess what the ambassador asked me,” Hadi told delegates. “He asked who PAS proposed as Prime Minister. I replied, ‘Who does America agree with?’ He was shocked. That was my response. I informed Mahathir Mohamad of the matter, and Mahathir remarked that it was a good answer.”
The diplomatic exchange unfolds against a pivotal stretch in modern Malaysian history. Four years after the alleged embassy talks, the long-ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition suffered a historic defeat in the 2018 general election. That ballot brought more than six decades of uninterrupted BN governance to an end, driven by widespread public outrage over the multi-billion-dollar 1MDB state fund financial scandal surrounding former Prime Minister Najib Razak. The Pakatan Harapan coalition, led by Mahathir Mohamad, swept into power, positioning Mahathir once again as Prime Minister in a landmark transition of national leadership.
Takiyuddin Hassan separately confirmed his participation in the 2014 diplomatic session, though his recollection offered a slightly nuanced emphasis on the nature of the conversation. Rather than an explicit proposal, Takiyuddin stated embassy representatives probed whether PAS harboured active plans to unseat the BN government. He stressed that PAS withheld any commitment, affirming the party’s principled objection to foreign meddling in national sovereignty.
No official statement or independent verification has been released by US diplomatic representatives regarding the allegations. Consequently, the claims reflect the accounts presented by PAS leadership as the party reinforces its nationalistic platform against foreign geopolitical influence.
