Kadir asks Maszlee if govt being ‘played’ by deep state

(FMT) – Veteran journalist A Kadir Jasin has called on Education Minister Maszlee Malik to explain if the government is being “played” by the “deep state”.

This comes in the wake of a claim by a Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia academic that the Pakatan Harapan-led government has sold RM20 billion in assets over the past 400 days.

In a blogpost today, Kadir commented on the claim made by Abdul Muein Abadi, a political science lecturer at the university.

Muein’s claim, Kadir said, was featured in an article published by Umno-Online.

“I’m sorry but it sounds like a conspiracy. UKM’s vice-chancellor is Prof Dr Mohd Hamdi Abdul Shukor. He is an appointee from the PH-era by Maszlee.”

Deep state refers to a clandestine network entrenched inside government, including the civil service and intelligence agencies, which influences or controls state policy from behind the scenes.

The PH government and Maszlee, Kadir said, were “so good” that a former Cabinet minister from the Najib Razak administration, Abdul Wahid Omar, had been appointed UKM’s board chairman.

“So I ask Maszlee to give an explanation if he reads our blog. I’m afraid that we’ve become a victim in a game of deception by the deep state.”

Kadir had also, in a Facebook post yesterday, asked UKM and the education ministry to monitor the quality of their academics’ arguments and ideological leanings on social media.

Meanwhile, Muein, in a Facebook post, said he had received threats because Kadir, who is Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s special adviser on media and communications, had “accused” him of spreading lies through his article.

“I invite everyone to check the facts and reports I have used as a reference for my article,” he said and listed the links to his sources.

Muein also said it was “unpleasant” that Kadir had asked UKM and the education ministry to monitor their academics’ arguments on social media.

“This is not only unprofessional and immature, it also goes against the principle of academic freedom touted by the government.”