Kuala Lumpur: Barisan Nasional (BN) Wanita Chief Datuk Seri Rafidah Aziz said she had heard of inter-party messing up in the 12th General Election and will bring this up at the highest level."I won't use the word 'sabotage' because it seems like too serious a word.
Messing up such as causing problems and whispering 'Don't votelah. Ada (Got), we have reports.
"But for Umno, if it's a written report and people investigate, then we can go to the party disciplinary committee. In BN, I am not very sure what is the mechanism, in BN tak ada (none). The respective parties ada, so perhaps this is one way of us finding out whether it is true or not.
"We don't want this inter-party messing up because we lose eventually. It's BN we lose. Sometimes the party member from the same party is not chosen as a candidate, sometimes the calon (candidate) is from another party," she told a press conference after chairing the first BN Wanita Supreme Council Meeting held after the last general election at the Putra World Trade Centre (PWTC).
Rafidah, who is Wanita Umno Chief, was asked on the incidence of inter-party sabotaging in the last election. According to her, if it happened in Umno, the person responsible would be sacked or suspended.
"But if it is inter-party in BN, there must be some resolution at the highest level. If these are true reports, they have to put the proof on paper because we don't condone this kind of thing. I'll bring this up because this has been brought to me. You (BN Wanita) put forward this as an issue."
While agreeing that this happens every election from the day she has been Member of Parliament in 1978, Rafidah said if such act causes the BN candidate to actually be defeated, then that is really being a traitor to the party.
"It doesn't matter from whereÉwhether is Umno buatkah, MCA, Gerakan, tak kira siapa buat (regardless who did it)Éas long as you are in BN, you do not do those things.
"We should have party discipline where we will support the candidate regardless of which party he or she comes from. Some people don't follow party disciplineÉthis is the problem. Dia ikut emotion dia saja (He follows his emotion only). This is what happens."
Sabah-based BN component Wanita Chiefs present were Puan Sri Melinda Kurup (Parti Bersatu Rakyat Sabah), Datuk Christine Vanhouten (United Pasok Momogun Kadazandusun Organisation), Datin Naomi Chong Set Mui (Liberal Democratic Party), Puan Melanie Chia Chui Ket (Sabah Progressive Party) and Datin Jamilah Sulaiman (Parti Bersatu Sabah).
Earlier, at the BN Wanita Meeting, ex-Senator Naomi reported that a BN component party had campaigned against the LDP candidate Teo Chee Kang for Tanjung Kapor, telling the voters to vote for kelapa sawit.
When some of the women present did not understand this, she said that was the logo for the independent candidate.
"Who asked them to vote for sawit?" Rafidah asked.
"They (BN component party) wanted to 'kill' all the LDP candidates, three State and one Parliamentary. Luckily we won, and the Kudat candidate won with a good majority.
Even the Prime Minister personally called up the Sandakan candidate (Datuk VK Liew) to congratulate him on making it. I don't want to say more," replied Naomi.
