PAS vice-president Amar Abdullah has downplayed criticism surrounding allegations that a party leader mocked Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s role in mediating peace talks between Thailand and Cambodia.
Speaking to FMT, Amar said the matter should not be exaggerated, noting that PAS information chief Ahmad Fadhli Shaari had already deleted the controversial Facebook post following public backlash.
He also dismissed suggestions that the incident might erode support for PAS, including among undecided and non-Malay voters, as claimed by political analyst Mazlan Ali in a separate FMT report.
“It won’t backfire on us. Trading barbs is common in politics — even in everyday life,” Amar said.
“Anwar himself often makes jabs at his political opponents, so what’s the issue?”
Mazlan had earlier warned that Fadhli’s post, which appeared to ridicule Malaysia’s mediation efforts in the Thailand-Cambodia conflict, could jeopardize Perikatan Nasional’s outreach to fence-sitters.
The post in question featured a cartoon depicting a monkey mediating a dispute over bananas between a goat and a sheep, captioned: “The goat and sheep shouldn’t need a monkey to mediate their banana dispute.”
Following widespread criticism, Fadhli removed the post. However, several Pakatan Harapan MPs have since lodged police reports against him.
Despite calls from various quarters — including DAP MP Syahredzan Johan and PKR Youth chief Kamil Munim — for an apology, Fadhli has refused, stating that he would leave the matter in the hands of the police.
A ceasefire between Cambodia and Thailand took effect at midnight on Monday, ending five days of intense border clashes that killed at least 38 people and displaced more than 300,000.
The agreement was brokered after Malaysia, in its capacity as ASEAN chair, worked alongside the United States and China to bring both parties to the negotiating table in Putrajaya on Monday.
