{
  "id": 5916321,
  "title": "US denies it tried to influence Malaysia’s political leadership in 2014",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/06/us-denies-it-tried-to-influence-malaysias-political-leadership-in-2014",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-06T05:40:38.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "South China Morning Post",
    "slug": "south-china-morning-post",
    "url": "https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3366522/us-denies-it-tried-influence-malaysias-political-leadership-2014"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The United States has firmly denied allegations made by Malaysia’s opposition Islamist party that Washington attempted to sway the nation’s political leadership in 2014. Charge d’Affaires David H. Gamble Jnr of the US embassy in Malaysia stated on social media that the US “has never sought to decide Malaysia’s political leadership,” dismissing any contrary accounts as false. Meanwhile, the Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS) president, Abdul Hadi Awang, disclosed during the party’s annual congress that a US ambassador had once inquired about their preferred prime minister candidate if they came to power, around the time of former President Barack Obama’s visit to Malaysia in 2014. PAS reported that the ambassador demanded to meet Awang and Mustafa Ali, the former PAS secretary general, and posed the question, “Who does PAS propose as prime minister?” Awang allegedly responded, “Who does America agree with?”, leaving the ambassador “stunned.” The incident drew laughter from PAS delegates. Hadi later recounted the meeting to former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, who deemed it a “good response.” Takiyuddin Hassan, currently PAS’ secretary general, also claimed to have faced a similar inquiry from the US embassy, stating that they declined to answer as they did not wish to interfere with other countries’ affairs.",
  "summary": "The US rejected a claim by Malaysia’s opposition Islamist party that Washington once sought to influence the country’s choice of political leadership, calling the allegation false. “The United States has never sought to decide Malaysia’s political leadership,” US embassy in Malaysia Charge d’Affaires David H. Gamble Jnr said in a statement on social media on Sunday. “Any account to the contrary…",
  "key_points": [
    "US denies influencing Malaysia's political leadership in 2014",
    "PAS president claims US ambassador asked about preferred PM candidate",
    "Ambassador reportedly stunned by PAS's response \"Who does America agree with?\""
  ],
  "editors_take": "The US denial shifts the focus to the Malaysian opposition's reported interactions with the US ambassador, potentially altering perceptions of PAS's past diplomatic engagements.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "The Vibes",
        "title": "US Embassy denies attempt to influence Malaysia’s political leadership",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/06/us-embassy-denies-attempt-to-influence-malaysias-political-leadership",
        "published": "2026-09-06T01:48:00.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}