“We are not the same as them (Umno), we allowed every position to be contested, unlike Umno,” he said. “But no one wanted to vie for the party’s top five leadership posts,” he said at the PAS general assembly tonight.

Earlier this year, Umno members approved a decision to bar contests for the party presidency and deputy presidency, allowing Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and Mohamad Hasan to retain their posts.

Afnan also said there should be no comparison between PAS and Umno in any way.

“Their president even lied to members saying ‘No Anwar, No DAP’ but yet after the election the president went back on his promise,” he said, referring to Umno’s decision to be part of the ruling coalition with Anwar Ibrahim’s Pakatan Harapan, which includes DAP.

Incompetent ministers

Separately, Afnan hit out at ministers he deemed to be “incompetent”, saying he was surprised that there were easy tasks that such ministers could not carry out.

“And we can say this because we have been in the federal government,” he said, referring to the time PAS was in the governments of Muhyiddin Yassin and Ismail Sabri Yaakob.

PAS also currently forms the government in Kedah, Kelantan, Terengganu and Perlis, he said. “So we have the experience, and not easily flummoxed.”

He cited the time that tourism minister Tiong King Sing was at the centre of a commotion at the airport a few months ago. Tiong later said he had visited the Kuala Lumpur International Airport to expose alleged corrupt activities at KLIA.

Afnan said: “You’re a tourism minister, yet you kick up a fuss at the immigration (counters). You’re supposed to oversee tourism, not immigration.”

We are live on Telegram, subscribe here for breaking news and the latest announcements.