Did Hadi imply that Umno is the ‘lesser Dajjal’, Puad asks

Former Umno supreme council member Puad Zarkashi today questioned whether the party could be considered a “lesser Dajjal”, the term used by PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang to describe the confidence and supply agreement (CSA) signed between the government and seven opposition MPs.

In a Facebook post, Puad said the party was part of the unity government that signed the CSA.

“According to Hadi, the ‘lesser Dajjal’ served the ‘great Dajjal’. Does this mean Umno is the ‘lesser Dajjal’ as it is part of the unity government?”

The Dajjal is the great deceiver whose emergence is regarded in Islam as one of the major signs of the approaching Day of Judgment. It is also sometimes referred to as the anti-Christ.

Yesterday, Hadi likened the CSA between the government and seven opposition MPs to the Dajjal’s deception.

He said Prophet Muhammad had warned that before the emergence of the great Dajjal, several “lesser Dajjals” would appear throughout the world.

“A CSA is Dajjal-like as power is no longer regarded as a trust that must be upheld for the benefit of all, but instead becomes a means of coercing others to ensure the government remains in power,” the Marang MP was quoted as saying.

Muar MP Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman and six MPs from Bersatu, led by former prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin, signed the CSA last Thursday, gaining access to constituency development funds that government MPs have had access to for the past four years.

The CSA also underlined two key reforms for Putrajaya to undertake in exchange for their support: limiting the prime minister’s tenure and separating the roles of the attorney-general and public prosecutor before the end of the parliamentary term.

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said the CSA was open to all opposition MPs, while his deputy, Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, said the deal should be extended to other opposition parties.

Puad urged Umno’s ulama council to state its stance on the matter.

He also questioned the apparent silence by several religious leaders in the party, like Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki and Khairuddin Aman Razali.