Would voters who vote for UMNO’s Mastura in Kuala Kangsar or Budiman in Sungai Besar “sinned and be damned by Allah”?

Apart from refusal to be loyal to the Common Policy Programme of Pakatan Rakyat (PR) and his insistence to exercise a veto power overriding the decisions of other PAS leaders reached at the PR Leadership Council, there is another powerful reason why the PAS President, Datuk Seri Hadi Awang wanted to cause the disintegration of Pakatan Rakyat – his refusal to accept Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim as Prime Minister as he himself wanted to be Prime Minister.

When Hadi found that the other two parties in Pakatan Rakyat would not endorse him as Prime Minister of Malaysia, he had no use for the Pakatan Rakyat and decided on a new political course for PAS led by him, acting as “adviser” to the UMNO President and Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak – even when this required him to be blind to Najib’s two global scandals, the RM55 billion 1MDB and RM4.2 billion “donation” twin mega financial scandals.

Under the circumstances, it did not come as a surprise that Hadi was unmoved and not interested to rock Najib’s boat although former Prime Minister, Tun Mahathir met him three months ago to explain about Najib’s “wrongdoings”.

What Mahathir revealed at the Second Colloquium on the RM55 billion 1MDB global scandal in Kuala Kangsar yesterday was news to the whole country, that he had taken pains to meet the PAS President to explain to him about the 1MDB scandal and other “wrongdoings” of the Prime Minister, but although Hadi admitted that there was some truth in what Mahathir had told him, the PAS President decided to side with Najib.

Hadi’s reply to Mahathir was most revealing.

Confirming later in Sekinchan that Mahathir had met him three months ago about Najib, Hadi explained why he rejected Mahathir’s overture.

Hadi said PAS does not oppose any individual but only the system and the policy.

He told reporters: “If a person is changed but the policy and approach are the same, nothing changes”.

Malaysians are very baffled by Hadi’s explanation. It would appear that he opposes the UMNO/BN policy and system, but supports Najib as Prime Minister and UMNO/BN President. What type of politics is this?

Malaysians can understand that it is not enough to change the Prime Minister without institutional and systemic changes, but here Hadi is advocating the defence of Najib as Prime Minister on the ground that Najib’s governmenht policy and system is not changed.

I am not the only way who could not understand what Hadi is advocating, but I believe that the overwhelming majority of PAS members do not understand as well.

Only Hadi’s lieutenants, who appeared at the recent PAS Muktamar garbed in traditional warrior costumes, could give Hadi blind loyalty which is probably why one of them could say recently that PAS “not only aspired to, but is determined, to unite with UMNO”.

Hadi warned yesterday that voters might suffer divine punishment if they elect the wrong MP in the by-elections on June 18.

May be Hadi should explain whether voters would have “sinned and be damned by Allah” if they vote for UMNO candidates Mastura Mohd Zahid in Kuala Kangsar and Budiman Mohd Zohdi in Sungai Besar by-elections.

Would Hadi care to clarify the conundrum?