SEMENYIH POLLS | Former senator Ezam Mohd Nor has taken aim at PKR president Anwar Ibrahim, claiming that he had reacted negatively to PAS' pledge of support to Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

"I am curious as to why something positive for the country is seen as negative by certain groups within Harapan, particularly Anwar who repeatedly pledged his loyalty to the current prime minister.

"All leaders who are loyal and committed towards the prime minister's leadership should welcome PAS' commitment and not scold PAS from the way it expressed support for the prime minister," he said.

Ezam, who has switched parties between Umno and PKR twice and is now partyless, said PAS has 18 MPs and its support can have a positive impact on the country.

A meeting took place between Mahathir and PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang on Feb 15, which the latter claimed concerned issues of governance. 

Mahathir said, however, that PAS had signed an agreement promising not to support Umno in the March 2 Semenyih by-election. 

PAS leaders later disputed this, but admitted to the existence of an agreement, which they said was to declare the party's support for the prime minister.

In justifying the need for this, PAS claimed it was backing Mahathir because there was an attempted internal coup against him. 

Anwar had questioned the authenticity of PAS' claim, pointing out that the Islamist party had previously justified lying by its leaders for the strategic benefit of the party.

He also claimed that PAS was trying to deflect controversy surrounding the party's alleged funding by Umno.

However, Ezam said the alleged funding should go through due process of investigation.

"But to punish PAS in the RM90 million issue and claim that all of PAS motives are linked to it is something that is not grounded in facts and unfair to PAS," he said.