Tanah Merah MP Ikmal Hisham Abdul Aziz said he could not tell whether the remarks were made in jest.
“I can only confirm that the statement was written, but I cannot confirm whether it was truly serious or merely meant as a joke,” Ikmal told FMT.
A screenshot of the conversation, which apparently took place in the WhatsApp chat group last month, was shared online late last night.
It started with Ikmal pointing out that Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi had invited former leaders to return to the party. Ikmal and several other Bersatu MPs and leaders were formerly from Umno.
Azmin then told Ikmal there was no need to raise the matter in the Bersatu Supreme Council chat group before allegedly mocking Zahid and PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang by suggesting that those who simply followed the two leaders would be “assured of entering heaven”.
Bersatu Youth chief Hilman Idham then appeared to sarcastically comment, “Takdir! (Fate!)”.
FMT has reached out to Azmin, Hilman and PAS information chief Ahmad Fadhli Shaari for comment.
‘Peja’s lying’
Separately, two former Bersatu Supreme Council members have accused Bersatu vice-president Ahmad Faizal Azumu of lying after he denied taking digs at PAS in the same chat group and suggesting that Bersatu leave Perikatan Nasional.
Zulkifli Bujang and Yunus Nurdin denied that screenshots of Faizal’s alleged remarks were fabricated, saying they were both in the WhatsApp group at the time when the former minister made the remarks.
“I don’t understand why he would deny it as there were about 50 Supreme Council members in the group before some of them were expelled from the party. The statement was definitely made,” Zulkifli told FMT.
Separately, Yunus said Faizal’s bare denial will do little to control the damage his remarks would have caused to the relationship between PAS and Bersatu.
Zulkifli and Yunus were among Bersatu leaders who were sacked from the party along with former deputy president Hamzah Zainudin on Feb 13.
A viral screenshot showed Faizal allegedly accusing a PN component, believed to be PAS, of being disrespectful to Bersatu president Muhyiddin Yassin and then suggesting that Bersatu leave PN.
Bersatu information chief Tun Faisal Ismail Aziz then allegedly said it would be better for PAS to leave PN since the Islamic party already appeared keen on reviving its Muafakat Nasional pact with Umno.
Fadhli previously said PAS will determine the authenticity of the alleged WhatsApp messages before taking further action.