The PAS president and spiritual leader did not utter remarks to defend Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak in relation to The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) report, said party secretary-general Takiyuddin Hassan.

Takiyuddin said PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang explicitly said "Najib was no angel " while PAS spiritual leader Haron Din said that the matter must be investigated .

"Hadi said Najib is no angel. This means (Hadi is implying that) the allegations may be true.

"Haron, meanwhile, said the WSJ revelations seem illogical but must be investigated. We in PAS do not support anyone who hides the truth."

When pointed out that Najib had publicly thanked Haron twice for his comments on Sunday and Monday, Takiyuddin said the media should be asking the premier what he meant by that.

Najib had thanked Haron for stating that a government who embezzled money is unlikely to keep the funds in a local account.

Takiyuddin's olive branch

Hadi ( photo ) had said today that there must be "fair" witnesses to implicate Najib on allegations by the WSJ that nearly US$700 million was transferred into Najib's personal bank accounts.

Takiyuddin accused the media of spinning Haron's remarks which he said has led to the misunderstanding.

He said the allegations against the premier were very serious and he would attempt to convince Pakatan Rakyat component parties to meet to discuss the matter further.

"Let us put aside our differences as this is a very serious issue involving the interest of the nation and people," he said.

Only a handful of Hadi's supporters attended the meeting in Parliament today called by opposition leader Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail.

Hadi himself was absent. Takiyuddin said Hadi was currently on his way to attend an engagement in Terengganu and that he was not feeling well.