Kuala Lumpur: Deputy prime minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi says more opposition MPs will announce their support for Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.
So far, four Bersatu MPs have declared support for Anwar while remaining in their parties.
“But we anticipate more (opposition) MPs will back the prime minister,” said Zahid.
He added that the support given by the Perikatan Nasional MPs should be accepted in good faith.
The Umno president also told grassroots leaders in the respective constituencies not to take the support given by the four MPs for granted.
Instead, the party should work harder to ensure Umno and Barisan Nasional can reclaim the four parliamentary seats.
Zahari Kechik (Jeli), Azizi Abu Naim (Gua Musang), Suhaili Abdul Rahman (Labuan) and Iskandar Dzulkarnain Abdul Khalid (Kuala Kangsar ) – all from Bersatu – recently pledged their support for the government, saying they were doing so for the sake of their constituents.
Suhaili and Iskandar Dzulkarnain have since been suspended by the party for six and four years, respectively.
Zahid also demanded Arau MP Shahidan Kassim, of PAS, back up his claim that the opposition MPs were promised allocations in exchange for their support to the government, which the latter said were tantamount to corruption.
“I told him (Shahidan) to prove that this was a form of corruption.”
