KUALA LUMPUR, June 23 ― Umno’s Tan Sri Annuar Musa has accused New York-based daily Wall Street Journal (WSJ) of trying to impose its own “liberal secularist extremist agenda” in the country, while becoming the vehicle of the Opposition.

In a harshly-worded statement, the party information chief also accused the business newspaper of many things, including supporting the Iraq war, which he said had inadvertently caused the rise of jihadist group Islamic State.

“For many decades the Wall Street Journal has been attacking Malaysia's Umno-led government. Malaysia has long experience of the fake news, politically motivated lies and distortions that the Wall Street Journal publishes,” the Ketereh MP said.

“This Israeli propaganda paper has targeted successive Umno-led governments. It has condemned them for supporting the development of the Malays as well as the other races in the country. It wishes to impose its own liberal secularist extremist agenda on Malaysia, and has shown blatant favouritism for the opposition for at least the last 19 years.”

Annuar did not provide any proof to back his allegations.

The politician also accused WSJ of spreading “fake news”, citing several American figures including Democratic Senator Al Franken, liberal think-tank Center for American Progress, news portals Huffington Post and Salon.com, and hedge fund manager Ray Dalio.

Annuar pointed out that Dalio has accused WSJ’s financial reporter Bradley Hope, who has been covering 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) and is currently writing a book about it, of having a “history of writing misleading stories” and relying “disproportionately on disgruntled people.”

“Malaysians should listen to the voices of Americans who know that the WSJ ignores the facts in pursuit of its own partisan political agenda. The WSJ has become nothing more than a propaganda outlet and willing vehicle for the Malaysian government's political opponents.

“Now it has been exposed by leading Americans as the purveyor of fake news we have long said that it is, Malaysians should not believe a word they say,” Annuar said.

Earlier today, Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi also advised Malaysians to be calm and prudent in evaluating the allegations made by the foreign media.