DPM suspects Kedah PAS rally goers were paid

 BN is so used to paying people to go to their ceramah and rallies, so they suspect others of doing the same too. In Bersih and opposition rallies, not only are the participants not paid, they have to buy their own T-shirts and banners too - 1Christians

 

Participants of a PAS-organised mass rally in Alor Setar, Kedah recently may have been paid to turn up, said deputy prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin.

"Figures is one thing, but what does it signifies? There may have been payment to supporters to mobilise them from all over the country," he said.

Speaking to reporters after an event to mark the officiating of the Kuala Lumpur BN election machinery today, Muhyiddin dismissed the rally as a sign of PAS’ support.

“They have to do it to show they still have support. However, their support in Kedah is declining. People are not comfortable with the way they rule,” he said.

The rally on Friday night saw green-clad PAS supporters flood Stadium Darul Aman. While Malaysiakini estimated the crowd size to be around 50,000, some Chinese dailies puts the figure at 100,000 while the organisers claim it was around 150,000.

PAS held the rally almost three weeks after Umno held its 66th anniversary bash at the National Stadium in Kuala Lumpur, boasting a 100,000 turnout.

Civil servants 'served us'

Meanwhile, commenting on the recent trend by former top civil servants to join or ally themselves with opposition parties, Muhyiddin said they should not have disowned the government.

"They have been with us for a long time, they served us and did the tasks.

"Even if they are not satisfied with the government, it shouldn't get to the point where they have to abandon us," he said.

When asked whether this is due to the lack of opportunities given by the government to the particular individuals, Muhyiddin disagreed.

"They were once the top post bearers in the government they served," he said.

The DPM was likely referring to figures such as former Bukit Aman crime investigation department official Fauzi Shaari (left) who joined PAS last month, and other former top police officials including former Commercial Crime Investigation Department chief Ramli Yusoff who have been exposing the government's wrongdoings to the media.

Muhyiddin, when asked, confirmed that civil servants would have signed a form classifying their work while in service as under the Official Secret Act (OSA), but fell short of saying whether the actions of various individuals were illegal.