PAS Information chief Ahmad Fadhli Shaari has taken a swipe at the Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition over a photograph of its leaders that was auctioned for RM500,000 when the coalition was in government.
He suggested that the value of the photograph could be tested again if it were put up for auction after PH returned to the opposition, challenging supporters to see whether it would command the same price.
“The PH leaders’ photograph was auctioned when PH was in government.
“When PH becomes the opposition later, try auctioning the photograph again and see how much it sells for,” he said in a Facebook post.
His remarks came after a walking stick belonging to PAS president Tan Sri Abdul Hadi Awang was auctioned at a PAS Melaka charity dinner, with reports initially putting the winning bid at RM16,500.
The auction has attracted attention online, particularly after some social media users questioned whether the sale placed excessive value on an item belonging to the PAS president. Ahmad Fadhli, however, described the amount as reasonable.
He also mocked those who suggested the auction was an attempt to treat the walking stick as a sacred or revered object.
“Once the walking stick belonging to the PAS president was successfully auctioned for RM16,500, many rushed to comment that someone wanted to worship the walking stick, ‘make it sacred’ and so on.
“Relax, bro. It is only RM16,500, which is a reasonable valuation,” he said.
Ahmad Fadhli then drew a comparison with the PH photograph, arguing that the RM500,000 auction price would represent a far greater level of reverence if the RM16,500 walking stick auction was being described in such terms.
In 2018, a photograph taken during the first PH leaders’ press conference after Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad was sworn in as Malaysia’s seventh Prime Minister on 10 May was sold for RM500,000.
The photograph was taken a day after PH secured victory in the 14th General Election (GE14), with bidding starting at RM100,000 before a local bidder secured it.
Six photographs of PH leaders were reportedly auctioned for a combined RM1.22 million during the PH Charity Dinner at the Putrajaya International Convention Centre (PICC).
The exchange highlights the political rivalry between PAS and PH, with fundraising activities and auction values increasingly becoming points of political debate. Ahmad Fadhli’s remarks also suggest that the value placed on such items can be viewed differently depending on the political circumstances surrounding the auction.
