Umno Veterans urge Hadi to apologise and repent over distorted decrees
Umno veteran secretary, Datuk Mustapha Yaakub - FILEPIX
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Its secretary Datuk Mustapha Yaakub, in saying so, said Hadi had distorted his supporters' comprehension of corruption by stating that cash handouts to voters during and election campaign were not a form of bribery but charity.
In calling out Hadi for his consistent branding of political statements as religious decree (fatwa), Mustapha said the Marang member of parliament had succeeded in stirring tensions among supporters who took his statements as the absolute truth.
"Hadi had succeeded in achieving PAS' objectives by giving out these religious decrees which his followers accepted as the holy truth and thus referred to him as 'Tuan Guru'. As such, they believed whatever he uttered was the truth," said Mustapha.
"The supporters did not see what damage he had used them to cause. His 'fatwa' which branded Umno members as disbelievers (kafir) had served him the longest and caused division in society and in families, just because his followers believed him."
Mustapha warned that going by Hadi's record of giving out politically motivated 'religious decrees', he would not be surprised if his supporters and unassuming members of the public would hence believe that there was nothing wrong with accepting cash handouts during election campaigns in exchange for support and votes.
Mustapha highlighted the matter in view of Hadi's response viral videos of PAS leaders handing out cash to voters while campaigning for the 15th General Elections in November last year.
Reports have since been lodged by Umno members over multiple allegations of vote-buying by Perikatan Nasional during campaigning for the 15th General Elections, in which Hadi admitted that cash handouts were given but branded them as charity, not corruption.
This includes a petition filed by Umno's Marang division to nullify the Marang parliamentary results, won by Hadi himself, over allegations of vote-buying.
On Saturday, Hadi was reported on Saturday as saying the cash handouts did not go against regulations and were a form of charity.
