KUALA LUMPUR – Amanah president Mohamad Sabu has slammed the “hubungan sumbang” (unnatural relationship) flaunted by “traitor parties” PAS, Umno, and Perikatan Nasional (PN), claiming that public rifts between them are merely a smokescreen to fool the people.
Speaking at Amanah’s national convention in Seremban today, Mohamad, better known as Mat Sabu, took aim at Islamist party PAS for the role it played in the Sheraton Move, which saw the collapse of the Pakatan Harapan (PH) federal government in February 2020.
“Umno has consistently denied its involvement (in the Sheraton Move) but the people know that Umno was more than keen to work with traitors to form a backdoor government,” he claimed.
“Never in history has an Islamist party conspired with kleptocrats implicated in huge bribery cases to bring down a government and form another leadership even worse than the one before.”
The Sheraton Move saw Gombak MP Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali lead other MPs to quit PKR and lend their support to Bersatu, which pulled out from PH to form the PN coalition with PAS. Bersatu president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin was then appointed prime minister.
17 months later, Umno withdrew support for the PN government in 2021, which saw Umno vice-president Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob appointed as prime minister, a move Mohamad labelled a “coup d’etat”.
“After bringing down the PN rule, they (Umno, PAS, and PN) can still sit together and carry on a ‘hubungan sumbang’ in front of everyone while they hold federal power.
“It is strange to see how PN members will bash fellow party members while PAS hits out at Umno and the latter retaliates in kind, but they all end up having cabinet meetings together.
“They are just pretending in front of the people. They may appear divided but they are united in their goal to rob the people.”
On Thursday, Ismail Sabri said the Umno Supreme Council will decide on the fate of political cooperation with PAS, among others.
It was set for today but has been postponed to September 30.
PAS had also assured PN that discussions between it and Umno on the 15th general election were “informal talks” that did not involve any party leaders.
Previously, Umno and PAS cemented a political cooperation dubbed Muafakat Nasional, which crumbled in recent times. – The Vibes, September 17, 2022
