Written by Stan Lee, Politics Now!KUALA LUMPUR (Politics Now!) - Has Malaysia turned topsy-turvy? Another opposition MP has thrown Parliament into confusion by openly offering his support for Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim's government for the princely sum of RM30 million.
The audacious offer was seen as a direct response to Anwar's attitude, which has been sharply condemned as unethical by the opposition, civil society and even allies with his own government. They have accused Anwar of making a mockery of the general election held late last year by condoning party-hopping and agreeing to accept backdoor defections that exploited the recently passed Anti-Hopping Law.
"In this august house I want to say that, should I manage to get the allocation requested for the development of my constituency, I will give my support to the prime minister and the Madani government,” said Syed Abu Hussin, the MP from Bersatu party for Bukit Gantang.
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It did not escape notice that as Anwar drew increasing flak, the latest offer was directed to Zahid Hamidi, his Deputy Prime Minister.
However, instead of taking the heat off Anwar, it only compounded the growing conflict seen within his government.
Instead of distancing the government from it, the corruption-tainted Zahid welcomed Syed Abu's offer - arguing that offers of support from opposition MPs were "best accepted without prejudice".
Zahid even predicted more opposition MPs may follow the money. So far four Bersatu MPs have declared support for Anwar's government in exchange of federal funding for their constituencies and Syed Abu will be the 5th if he strikes the deal he wants.
While supporters of the narcissistic Anwar have sycophantically called the backdoor defections as Anwar's "quiet triumph", others predicted it could backfire.
"If the defections were orchestrated by Bersatu strategists to test the water, and PM Anwar foolishly swallows the hook, line and sinker by “legitimizing' the four Bersatu MPs support for him, a vote of confidence in parliament could see 10 UMNO MPs along with Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) and Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) suddenly crossing over to PN in 'Sheraton Move 2.0',” wrote the Finance Twitter, referring to the 'coup' that toppled the Pakatan Rakyat government in 2020.
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Already, the four rogue opposition MPs have asked the Parliament's Speaker to seat them on the same side as government lawmakers - sparking even greater public disgust and odium at their treachery.
Just a day ago, the youth chief of Zahid's own Umno party Dr Muhamad Akmal Saleh had lambasted the government for encouraging party-hopping instead of upholding and defending the spirit and intent of the recently passed Anti-Hopping Law.
“Enough with the political drama before this, the people are tired and fed-up," Akmal wrote on Facebook.
“The Anti-Hopping Law came about with the aim of preventing political frogs from hopping about as they liked so that there would be no protracted political dramas and elected representatives could focus on serving the people who voted for them and the party they represent.
MCA, another ally in Anwar's ruling coalition, has called to "cease practice of breeding political frogs and to reveal evidence if graft really permeates."
Meanwhile, Syed Abu told Parliament the amount was based on a series of projects and initiatives planned for Bukit Gantang, including a proposal to "upgrade a Pusat Giat Mara, repair 35 Tabika Kemas, and installation of street lights in villages there, among others".
His party president Muhyiddin Yassin had called an emergency meeting last night, pledging to demand a review of the Anti-Hopping Law as well as to lodge police and MACC reports, alleging acts of bribery and coercion.
"There are flaws and we think it (anti-party hopping law) should be reviewed. For example the case that has yet to be decided by the court (on Sabah MPs who quit Bersatu), as well as the four MPs who pledged support for the unity government," Muyiddin told a press conference, citing the four Bersatu MPs from Sabah who quit the party, yet kept their seats.
“We have collected all the information. For instance, in the case of Gua Musang MP (Mohd Azizi Abu Naim), he told the last Kelantan Bersatu meeting that he had received offers, but he rejected them all.
“However, three days later, he voiced support for the Madani government, and we suspect several things that go against the law happened, and we have collected data on this,” added Muhyiddin.
Written by Stan Lee, Politics Now!
Politics Now!
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