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PAS leader: I was told to lie about millions received from Umno

This article is more than 12 months old

PETALING JAYA A leader from the opposition Parti Islam SeMalaysia (PAS) has claimed that party president Abdul Hadi Awang had given his "blessings" for the former to deny that it was his voice on an audio recording confessing that the Islamist party had received millions from Umno.

In a lengthy Facebook post on Wednesday, Bachok MP Nik Abduh Nik Aziz said he was torn between admitting the truth that it was indeed his voice and denying the recording.

"I had two choices. One, to tell the truth and admit it. Second, to deny it. It was a closed-door meeting with a targeted audience. Very closed.

"My right was to keep the secrecy and not to betray it. Both were syariah-compliant choices," he said.

The recording was leaked and went viral early last year.

Mr Nik Abduh - the son of revered preacher Nik Aziz Nik Mat, who died in 2015 - said he initially opted for the first option but then realised the issue did not involve only him but the party as well.

"Even though the recording was leaked to mar my reputation, it was also aimed at causing the downfall of PAS.

"Every PAS leader I referred to asked me to deny it. I refused but they insisted.

"Slander must be shut off, they argued. GE14 was heating up and Pakatan Harapan was attacking PAS viciously," he said in reference to last year's general election.

He said in desperation, he approached Mr Abdul Hadi.

"The president quickly gave me his blessing to deny it. I was happy to follow the mandate (from Mr Abdul Hadi).

"Slander was shut off and PAS bravely entered GE14 and managed to retain its strength in parliamentary and state assembly seats."

His lengthy admission on social media came in the wake of PAS admitting on Tuesday that it was indeed Mr Nik Abduh's voice in the leaked recording.

PAS secretary-general Takiyuddin Hassan has defended Mr Nik Abduh, saying the recording did not reflect the entire conversation.

"He admitted it was his voice but said it did not portray the actual context, it was not just about PAS receiving money from Umno, there were other things.

"To understand the context of the audio recording, we have to listen from the first minute until the end, then only we will understand everything," he told reporters on Tuesday. - THE STAR

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