Hadi’s US meddling claim can hurt PN’s ‘govt-in-waiting’ image, say analysts

PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang’s claim of US interference is unlikely to damage ties with Washington but could raise concerns over Perikatan Nasional’s credibility as a government-in-waiting, say analysts.

Asrul Hadi, an associate vice-president at The Asia Group, said PAS needed to support serious allegations with solid evidence and exercise greater discipline in its foreign policy rhetoric if it wanted to position itself as a viable alternative government.

While Hadi’s message may have been intended primarily for domestic political consumption, he said its repercussions could extend beyond Malaysia’s borders.

“For a trade-dependent economy such as Malaysia, maintaining investor confidence and constructive relations with major partners, including the US, is an economic necessity,” he told FMT.

Singapore Institute of International Affairs senior fellow Oh Ei Sun said Hadi’s claim was unlikely to materially affect Malaysia-US ties, as Washington was “too experienced” to be swayed and thus could therefore distinguish political rhetoric from a country’s actual foreign policy stance.

“Bilateral relations between Malaysia and the US have always been quite strong. We collaborate very closely in trade, investment and security, not to mention that we are an integral part of the global supply chain for computer chips and rare earths,” he said.

However, he said the claim was unlikely to generate much political mileage for Hadi either, as Malaysian voters generally paid little attention to foreign affairs apart from issues involving Palestine.

For foreign investors, however, Oh said the bigger concern was the prospect of PAS coming to power.

This sentiment, he said, was based on feedback he had received from investors, who remained concerned about the implications a PAS-led government would have for investment.

University of Tasmania’s James Chin said any investigation into Hadi’s claim was unlikely to reach a conclusive finding, given that the former US ambassador involved was no longer in Malaysia and Washington had already denied the allegations.

He said the matter had become a “he said, she said” situation, with neither side able to conclusively prove its version of events.

“PAS supporters will believe Hadi no matter what he says because party members are fiercely loyal. It will have zero impact on PAS’s reputation among its base,” he added.

The controversy stems from Hadi’s claim at PAS’s 72nd muktamar in Kelantan that the party was offered assistance by the US embassy to topple the Barisan Nasional government in 2014, during former US president Barack Obama’s visit to Malaysia that same year.

He said then-PAS assistant secretary-general Takiyuddin Hassan and Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar, who was Hadi’s political secretary at the time, went to the embassy for the meeting.

However, Takiyuddin and Samsuri were not swayed by the offer and remained firm in rejecting it, he said.

The US embassy has since denied Hadi’s claim, stressing that the US had never sought to decide Malaysia’s political leadership.

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