<figure id="attachment_3211233" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-3211233" style="width: 1600px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" class="wp-image-3211233 size-full" src="https://media.freemalaysiatoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/58bd3981-pas-president-abdul-hadi-awang-ss-ig-161125.webp" alt="" width="1600" height="1000" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-3211233" class="wp-caption-text">PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang speaking to supporters in a video clip posted on Instagram.</figcaption></figure>
PETALING JAYA: PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang has said voters in Sabah are “smarter than national leaders”, as he weighed in on the “Gardenia bread” row that has drawn backlash in the past two days.
In a short clip on Instagram, Hadi said Sabah folk were not weak or easy to sway, and used the bread remark to make a wider point on debt and state assets.
The PAS chief’s comments come after Kedah state executive councillor Mansor Zakaria apologised for saying Sabah votes could be won “with Gardenia bread”, a remark Sabahans saw as rude and belittling.
Hadi said the focus should be on leaders who “sell out the country” and take on large debts, instead of Mansor&#8217;s remarks. “Too big an issue over bread. We forget the people who pawn the country. We must be alert,” he said.
“I think Sabah folk are smarter than the leaders of the country. People say Sabah people only eat Gardenia bread. But the leaders sell off the country for billions. Debts in the billions,” he said. Purchases of aircraft cost much more than bread and have left the nation with huge debts, he said.
The Gardenia bread remark by Mansor went viral online and sparked anger across Sabah. He later withdrew those remarks at the Kedah state assembly and asked Sabahans to accept his apology.

MatchPoint Times

Sabah folk smarter than national leaders, Hadi says in bread row

PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang weighed in on the Gardenia bread row to stress that bigger issues, like debt and state assets, matter more than campaign jibes.

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