The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) must investigate offers of gifts and positions to opposition lawmakers to support Muhyiddin Yassin’s government, Pakatan Harapan (PH) said today.
The presidential council of the opposition pact said MACC must take serious action because it has happened more than once.
“If MACC fails to do so, this only proves the allegation that government agencies are being used as political weapons for the political survival of certain parties and not to uphold the rule of law,” the PH leaders said in a statement.
The statement was signed by PKR president Anwar Ibrahim, DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng and Amanah president Mohamed Sabu.
They also reiterated their position that Muhyiddin should resign immediately or test his legitimacy in Parliament as soon as possible.
“Don’t use the time until September to ‘buy’ support with all sorts of undignified and illegal tactics,” they said.
They were commenting on offers by an unknown party to at least seven opposition MPs to defect in support of the Perikatan Nasional government.
Among them were DAP’s M. Kulasegaran (Ipoh Barat), Cha Kee Chin (Rasah) and Khoo Poay Tiong (Bandar Melaka).
The same offer was also made directly or indirectly to PKR’s Saifuddin Nasution (Kulim Bandar Baharu), Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad (Setiawangsa), Chan Ming Kai (Alor Setar) and Dr Azman Ismail (Kuala Kedah).
According to Saifuddin, efforts to buy MPs are in full swing whereby in the last 48 hours, several Dewan Rakyat members from PKR have been contacted with job offers and cash.
Yesterday, Kulasegaran, who is also DAP vice-chairman, lodged a police report in Ipoh.
He also shared a screenshot of a conversation on WhatsApp between the individual and his officer, who offered a “durian runtuh” for RM30.
“The message is believed to mean RM30 million for me if I agree to the offer,” he said.