Umno, PKR MPs shoot down Bersatu man’s claim of defections
Published on: Saturday, December 02, 2023
By:
FMT, Anne Muhammad, Jason Thomas
.jpg "Umno, PKR MPs shoot down Bersatu man’s claim of defections")
Bersatu Supreme Council member Redzuan Yusof had said in a Sinar Harian report that ‘more than 10’ government MPs are set to support PN.
PETALING JAYA: Umno and PKR MPs have dismissed claims by a Bersatu leader that more than 10 government backbenchers are set to support Perikatan Nasional.
Bersatu Supreme Council member Redzuan Yusof was reported by Sinar Harian as saying there was speculation that MPs from the government bloc, including Barisan Nasional and PKR, will support PN to form a new government.
ADVERTISEMENT
“I’ve never heard of such news,” Umno vice-president Khaled Nordin told FMT. Khaled is also the Kota Tinggi MP and the higher education minister.
Health minister Dr Zaliha Mustafa said Redzuan’s claim seemed to be an attempt to divert the public’s attention and disrupt a stable government “which is increasingly gaining the trust of the Malaysian public and the international community”.
“I believe the people are tired of stories like this, and they want the government to stay and continue leading the country to success,” said the Sekijang MP.
Four PKR MPs also rubbished Redzuan’s claim, saying it was nothing more than an attempt to bolster support for Bersatu after five of its MPs pledged support for Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and his government.
ADVERTISEMENT
“Not that I know of,” said Hang Tuah Jaya MP Adam Adli when asked whether he heard of such rumours.
“I am pretty sure they are just doing this to convince their own supporters after they lost five of their own MPs,” said the deputy youth and sports minister.
ADVERTISEMENT
The PKR Youth chief added that Bersatu was also trying to remain “relevant” with such statements.
Selayang MP William Leong was clueless about Redzuan’s claim, saying he had “no idea” what the former minister was talking about.
Questioning why any government MP would want to back PN, he said it was highly unlikely such a scenario would happen with the anti-hopping law in place.
“This is just another tit-for-tat because some of their MPs declared support for the PM. I think they should just concentrate on coming up with good alternatives to our policies,” said Leong.
“If they had the support, the best thing for them to do would have been to vote down the budget.”
Sungai Petani MP Dr Taufiq Johari also described such speculation as “unfounded”, and called on the opposition to focus on more pressing matters.
Noting how recent political instability has affected the country’s economy and dented investor confidence, Taufiq said all political leaders should refrain from making statements that cause anxiety and uncertainty.
Pasir Gudang MP Hassan Karim also dismissed Redzuan’s claim, stating that the Malaysian people generally want the unity government to administer the country until the end of its term in 2027.
“Only politically foolish members of the unity government would jump ship or switch to PN,” he said.
“It would be wise for PN leaders to stop indulging in their daydreams.”
Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
Daily Express Malaysia
