Written by Stan Lee, Politics Now!KUALA LUMPUR (Politics Now!) - Blackmail and intimidation! Opposition leader Hamzah Zainuddin cries foul at how he believed team mate Iskandar Dzulkarnain, the MP for Kuala Kangsar, was coerced into signing a media statement expressing support for Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim's unity government.
"On Oct 1, Iskandar was taken to a hotel in Damansara where he met a high-ranking MACC officer and was threatened with corruption charges should he refuse to sign a media statement, which had been prepared to say that he supports the government," Hamzah, a former home minister said in a statement issued a day after Iskandar's 'de-facto' defection.
"It is believed that intimidation and blackmail were used against the Kuala Kangsar MP to force him to support the Madani government so that it would again have a two-thirds majority in Parliament."
Wild allegations! hotly refutes current Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution, who is also Anwar's closest lieutenant in their PKR party,
"I completely reject Hamzah’s wild allegations,” Saifuddin was reported as saying in Free Malaysia Today news portal.
SACK ISKANDAR? BUT ON PAPER, BERSATU MIGHT LOSE THE SEAT
But who is lying and who is telling the truth? Given the growing dexterity of Malaysian politicians and their operators to twist, bend and even atomize the truth, perhaps the best test is for Bersatu sack Iskandar.Under the country's anti-hopping law, such a move would immediately force Iskandar to vacate the Kuala Kangsar seat, paving the way for another by-election. But are Hamzah and his Bersatu party willing to take such an acid test that can really boomerang badly back at them?
Iskandar had won the Kuala Kangsar parliamentary seat with 14,380 votes at the 15th general election in 2022 , beating Umno's Maslin Sham Razman (10,814 votes), Pakatan Harapan’s Ahmad Termizi Ramli (10,356 votes) and Gerakan Tanah Air’s Dr Yusmalia Yusof (204 votes).
"On paper, Iskandar would be the handicapped candidate since Umno and Harapan re now allies and should command a combined total of some 21,000 votes versus Bersatu's 14,380," a political observer told Politics Now!
"Obviously, Bersatu would want to tread very carefully and consult with their allies in PAS. Kuala Kangsar is a ticking time bomb for them especially since Iskandar is regarded as the Bersatu deputy president's man and rumors are already rife about an internal power struggle between the Azumu, Hamzah and Azmin factions."
INTERNAL POWER STRUGGLE & A BUSINESS TYCOON CLOSE TO ANWAR WHO OFFERED BRIBES
The dilemma facing Bersatu, which is led by former prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin, is already evident. Usually such bold actions as to publicly express support for a major political rival would invite an immediate sacking but today, Hamzah - sometimes called 'Thanos' for his ham-fisted ways - would only say it's up to Bersatu’s political bureau to ask Iskandar for further explanations before deciding on the next course of action.Bersatu's deputy president is former Umno man Ahmad Faizal Azumu, who is said to be upset at being sidelined as Muhyiddin's successor, while Hamzah and another senior leader Azmin Ali are being favored to take charge of the party in the event Muhyiddin has to quit active politics to defend the mountain of corruption charges that have been leveled at him and some of his family.
Meanwhile, according to Hamzah, a business tycoon close to Anwar was involved. At a meeting held in Damansara on Sept 26, the businessman had promised the Kuala Kangsar MP monetary rewards and positions in several companies if he supported Anwar.
"Iskandar was pressured and promised monetary rewards and positions in several companies if he agreed to support the prime minister," Hamzah claimed.
Hamzah also said that in a recent meeting with Muhyiddin, the Kuala Kangsar MP “appeared visibly distressed due to the pressure on him”.
BERSATU DID THE SAME WITH XAVIER?
However, Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution upped the ante by recounting how Bersatu pulled the same sort of stunt that they were now accusing Anwar's unity government of doing.
“Remember what they (Bersatu) did when they were in power (under former prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin). I don’t think the current government is doing the same thing," said Saifuddin, who is also the secretary-general of Anwar's PKR party.
“We once lost an MP who defected to support Muhyiddin’s government after facing threats similar to Hamzah’s claims. That MP left PKR and supported Muhyiddin’s government,” continued Saifuddin, perhaps referring to former Kuala Langat MP Xavier Jayakumar who quit PKR in March 2021, amid a swirl of allegations he was trying to dodge corruption charges. - Written by Stan Lee, Politics Now!
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