Nobody would have thought that PAS would one day become the foremost apologist for UMNO kleptocracy and emulated UMNO propaganda campaign of demonization against the DAP and Pakatan Harapan.

But the PAS President, Datuk Seri Hadi Awang and his hardline mainstream leaders in PAS were caught red-handed in three such acts in the past one week.

It started with Hadi’s Open Letter to All Political Parties on the eve of Hari Raya Aidilfriti, joining forces with UMNO propagandists to divert the agenda for the Hari Raya Aidilfitri “balek kampong” discussions from 1MDB mastermind Jho Low’s gift of US$27.3 million pink diamond necklace and other multi-million US dollar gifts to the “wife of MO1”, the handing over of multimillion US dollar gifts by Australian supermodel Miranda Kerr and American actor Leonardo DiCaprio to US Department of Justice (DOJ) investigators to alleged “foreign interference” in Malaysian domestic affairs by US DOJ’s kleptocratic suits to forfeit US$1.7 billion 1MDB-linked assets from US$4.5 billion 1MDB international money-laundering scandal.

The second instance was when Hadi’s extraordinary Open Letter to All Political Parties was followed by two hardline leaders in Hadi’s mainstream leadership in PAS – the MP for Kuala Nerus, Secretary of PAS Dewan Ulama and a member of the PAS working committee, Datuk Khairuddin Aman Razali who rejected offhand Pakatan Harapan’s call to all Opposition parties to co-operate in a nation-wide campaign to bring those involved in the 1MDB scandal to justice and the PAS Information chief Nasrudin Hassan who also rejected the Pakatan Harapan proposal and declared that PAS will not follow those with an alleged “agenda”.

The third instance came when the PAS leaders were even faster than their counterparts in UMNO and pounced on my statement in Kota Bharu on Thursday expressing my hope that next year’s Hari Raya Aidilfriti would be held with a new Pakatan Harapan Kelantan state government with Datuk Husam Musa as the Kelantan Mentri Besar.

PAS information chief, Nasarudin Hassan emulated the UMNO propaganda tactics of lies, fake news and false information by alleging that DAP aspired to install its stooge Mentri Besar of Kelantan, claiming that DAP wanted to arrange someone they can control to lead Kelantan as DAP cannot rule Kelantan, implying that Husam is nothing but a puppet of DAP.

This is a most immoral personal attack and character assassination. Who will be Kelantan’s Mentri Besar after the 14th General Election will be decided by the voters of Kelantan and not by me.

I have always suspected that UMNO propagandists and cybertroopers are not the only ones guilty of the sin of demonization of political opponents through a campaign of lies, fake news and false information – as instance, the vicious black propaganda campaign to paint me as quite a devil, a puaka, even jembalang; that I am anti-Malay, anti-Islam; cause of May 13, 1969 riots; a communist; a stooge of foreign powers; that I dominate Pakatan Harapan and made other leaders like Tun Mahathir Mohamad, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, Datuk Seri Wan Azizah, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, Datuk Seri Azmin Ali and Mohamad Sabu into my stooges and puppets.

Now, we have the PAS Information Chief caught red-handed emulating such UMNO lies and falsehoods, alleging that Husam is my latest collection of puppets and stooges.

I feel sad that these mainstream leaders of PAS have such a low opinion of political leaders of other political parties, but yet such a super-high opinion of UMNO leaders, especially UMNO President and Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak!

PAS mainstream leaders should have greater respect for the character, morality and integrity of political leaders of other parties apart from UMNO and Barisan Nasional.

I can disagree with Hadi politically but there is no need for me or him to descend to the gutter level of personal attacks or character assassination.

Let me tell Hadi and the mainstream leaders in PAS – whether Tun Mahathir Mohamad, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, Datuk Seri Wan Azizah, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, Datuk Seri Azmin Ali, Mohamad Sabu or Datuk Husam Musa, I am not their stooge and puppet and they are not my stooges and puppets.

Only idiots, the crooked or those who are downright evil will think such unkind thoughts of others.

I urge Hadi and the PAS leaders to keep their political differences to the level of ideas and beliefs, and not to emulate UMNO propagandists and cybertroopers to descend to personal attacks or character assassination, as no religion in the world, whether Islam, Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Sikkhism or Taoism approve of lies, fake news or false information!