Wanita Pakatan Harapan accused Umno of fuelling threats against artistes who speak up about the state of the country.

Its information chief Aiman Athirah made reference to the attacks against such artistes during the recently concluded Umno annual general assembly.

"The speeches of the Umno leaders were aimed at pressuring and silencing the voice of the people which were expressed through the artistes.

"It was as if a signal to pro-Umno gangsters to send threatening messages to artistes like Nur Fathia Abdul Latiff," she said.

Aiman, who is also Amanah's women's wing chief, was referring to Fathia's claim yesterday that she was threatened by an unknown person.

Fathia had previously expressed sadness at the attacks against former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who is now in the opposition.

Her pro-Mahathir statement had courted criticism from pro-government forces.

Several other artistes, including singers Sheila Majid and Adibah Noor, have also recently weighed in on the state of the country.

Earlier today, Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Abdul Rahman Dahlan offered artistes a briefing to provide them with a better picture of the state of the economy.