US rejects claim it sought to influence Malaysian politics

SINGAPORE: The United States Embassy in Malaysia on Sunday (Sep 6) pushed back against a claim that it sought to influence Malaysian politics.

In a statement posted on the embassy's Facebook page, its charge d'affaires David H Gamble Jr said: "The United States has never sought to decide Malaysia's political leadership.

"Any account to the contrary is false."

This comes after Parti Islam Se-Malaysia (PAS) chief Abdul Hadi Awang said that the US had offered to help the party topple Malaysia's government in 2014.

Malaysian media reported Mr Hadi as saying at the party's annual congress on Saturday that this occurred around the time of former US President Barack Obama's visit to Malaysia that year.

Mr Hadi said that several PAS leaders had been invited to a meeting at the US Embassy in Kuala Lumpur while the party was still part of the Pakatan Rakyat coalition.

PAS assistant secretary-general Takiyuddin Hassan and Dr Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar, then his political secretary, attended the meeting, he was reported to have said.

According to The Malay Mail, Mr Hadi said US Embassy representatives raised the possibility of helping PAS topple and take over the government at the meeting.

However, the party leaders rejected any foreign interference of this kind, he said.

Mr Hadi said that the US ambassador to Malaysia at the time also asked him separately who PAS would propose as prime minister if it took over the government.

According to The Star, he said he responded by asking the ambassador: "Who does America agree with?"

His response was met with approval by Dr Mahathir Mohamad, Mr Hadi was reported as saying.

Mr Takiyuddin confirmed that the meeting with the US Embassy representatives took place but said their discussion did not go beyond whether PAS had plans to topple the Barisan Nasional government, The New Straits Times reported.

The party representatives did not state whether or not it had the intention of doing so, he added.