Anwar rubbishes PAS’ coup claims

SHAH ALAM: PKR president Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has brushed aside PAS’ allegations of an impending Pakatan Harapan coup against Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, saying such claims are lies.

He said the motive behind the Islamist party’s claims are aimed at covering up the RM90 million issue it is currently mired in.

Anwar, who spoke to reporters after delivering an address on education at Universiti Selangor here yesterday, said the other Pakatan parties had also dismissed the allegation.

“Nobody wants to comment because they think it is a nonissue and a PAS attempt to deflect the focus on the money taken from 1MDB,” he said.

He had added PAS had pledged to support Dr Mahathir in the event this happens and had even signed a draft letter pertaining to it when his party president Datul Seri Hadi Awang had met the premier last Friday.

When asked about the letter, Anwar said it may not be true.

“They have koshered (halalkan) lying, so we don’t know if it’s true or not. As they said can lie if need be to save the party, so we don’t know if it is true or not,” he said.

PAS leaders had said recently that it was permissible for their members to lie if it was meant to protect the party.

Anwar also said that in his interaction with Dr Mahathir, the matter of the alleged coup did not come up at all.

To a question if he would be discussing it with Dr Mahathir, Anwar said he would not be doing so because it was a non-issue.