US rejects Abdul Hadi Awang's claim of 2014 regime change offer

The US has rejected Abdul Hadi Awang’s claim that it offered help to change Malaysia’s political leadership during Obama’s visit in 2014

Malaysian police have contacted Islamist opposition leader Abdul Hadi Awang over his explosive claim that the United States once offered to help his party topple the government – an allegation Washington has flatly dismissed as false.

The controversy erupted after Hadi told thousands of delegates at the Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS) congress in Kelantan on Saturday that American representatives had approached party leaders when Barack Obama visited Malaysia in 2014.

Hadi’s political secretary Syahir Che Sulaiman told This Week in Asia on Monday that federal police headquarters Bukit Aman had contacted the PAS president following several police reports over remarks he made at the party’s annual congress.

“Hadi has been informed and is ready to give the police his full cooperation,” Syahir said, adding that a date and time would be fixed “in the near future”.

This Week in Asia has contacted Bukit Aman criminal investigation department chief M Kumar for comment on the investigation and the number of police reports lodged against Hadi.