Bersatu leader claims proof of MPs being asked to jump ship

KUALA LUMPUR: A Bersatu leader has claimed to offer evidence of so-called agents who are enticing its lawmakers to switch loyalties, saying that this is the latest tactic to wipe out Bersatu.

Bersatu Youth (Armada) chief Wan Ahmad Fayhsal Wan Ahmad Kamal (pic) said this manoeuvre is on top of the legal cases against Bersatu’s leaders which the party has labelled as “political prosecution”.

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“This has been a concerted effort since the unity government came to power. (For example) with all the cases involving Bersatu leaders,” he told The Star yesterday.

Wan Ahmad Fayhsal, who is also Machang MP, claimed there was a video being circulated on social media about individuals he claimed were political operators tasked with courting Bersatu MPs.

The video showed a bald individual and a former political secretary to a senior political figure, he told reporters outside of the Dewan Rakyat.

“The video was circulated on social media platforms TikTok and Facebook,” he said.

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Wan Ahmad Fasyhal then alleged that all of Bersatu’s 31 lawmakers had been approached by these “operators” who claimed to represent the unity government.

Four of the party’s MPs – Datuk Iskandar Dzukarnain Abdul Khalid (Kuala Kangsar), Datuk Suhaili Abdul Rahman (Labuan), Mohd Azizi Abu Naim (Gua Musang) and Zahari Kechik (Jeli) – had over the past two weeks announced that they were supporting the government.

The four said they were doing so to access constituency development funds.

However, Wan Ahmad Fayhsal alleged that the four were pressured to do so after they were threatened with action by the authorities.

On March 10, Bersatu president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin was charged with abuse of power and money-laundering related to the approval of Jana Wibawa programme funds totalling RM232.5mil.

Muhyiddin was acquitted of these charges in August but the money-laundering charges are sill ongoing.

Tasek Gelugor MP Datuk Wan Saiful Wan Jan has also claimed trial to two corruption charges related to the Jana Wibawa programme and 18 counts of money laundering amounting to over RM5.59mil.