“If deeds are left unremembered, loyal friends misunderstood, then don’t bother talking about loyalty. Don’t backstab,” he said.

Warning that the party was often used as “a shield for personal action”, he said that political parties “cannot be managed as a matter of personal right”.

Annuar later defended the Muafakat Nasional (MN) alliance between PAS and Umno, saying it was the foundation for future success as a Malay-Muslim united front.

However, the alliance had been betrayed by others behind the scenes for their own reasons, he said.

Annuar’s remarks were made in two online postings today, which come a day after Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi had said that party leaders should not dance to the beat of enemies and rebel against the party.

Zahid’s statement appeared to be a response to Annuar having played down the significance of documents purportedly about discussions among PAS leaders to move against certain Umno leaders.

In his posting this morning, Annuar said: “Loyalty to the party is very important. It is different from loyalty to the individual, which is sometimes considered as a sign of loyalty to the party.

“Almost everyone talks about their loyalty to the party; sometimes their loyalty is displayed by accusing others of being disloyal,” he said.

Annuar, who serves as communications and multimedia minister in the government of Ismail Sabri Yaakob, is seen as being friendly towards Bersatu, which has been at odds with Umno.

In his follow-up posting about MN, he said he supported the unity of Malays and Muslims.

“My political inclinations have not changed. I have never been fanatical about individuals or groups. Those in the right, I support. Those who are wrong, I say wrong. I call a spade a spade,” he said.