Ahead of PAS polls, WhatsApp ‘leaks’ deepens fissures between factions
(MMO) – Both factions have been quick to go at each other’s throats, rarely contesting the origins of the leaked conversations and whether they had even come from those within the party or from troublemakers outside.
Temperatures has been rising in the run-up to the PAS annual congress, or muktamar, this week as some in the party have resorted to distributing either leaked or photoshopped chats to discredit candidates contesting in the already fractious party polls.
Over the past few days, several screenshots of chats on text messaging application WhatsApp purportedly between prominent PAS leaders have been circulated online, triggering a war of words between those who support incumbent president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang and his detractors.
Both factions have been quick to go at each other’s throats, rarely contesting the origins of the leaked conversations and whether they had even come from those within the party or from troublemakers outside.
Instead, they used the leaked messages to accuse one another of smear campaigns, indicating a tumultuous contest ahead for those in the polls.
The most recent “leaked” WhatsApp chat was of a conversation purportedly among PAS leaders aligned to the powerful ulama or clergy faction who appeared to be discussing payments and seed funds for an unspecified project from backers, one of which included an individual referred to as “Ku Nan”.
The conversation did not expressly state the identify of “Ku Nan” but the moniker is famously used by Umno secretary-general Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor.
Among those named in the WhatsApp group were central working committee members Nasruddin Hasan and Nik Mohamad Abduh Nik Abdul Aziz, Ulama wing leader Mokhtar Senik, Youth information chief Zaharudin Muhammad, and Youth leader Nurul Islam Mohd Yusof.
Zaharudin, however, has since denied the circulated chat screenshot, writing on his Facebook page on Monday: “This is one more slander which is being circulated. Allah, take care of your struggle.”
