BN money talks in defections, claims PKR

The PKR leaders, including three MPs, who quit were driven by dollars and cents, claimed the party's information chief Latheefa Koya today.

In a statement, she said the defections were part of a plan by Barisan Nasional to undermine the will of the people and detsroy PKR, which is led by Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

So far three MPs - Mohsin Fadzli Samsuri (Bagan Serai), Zahrain Mohamed Hashim (Bayan Baru) and Tan Tee Beng (Nibong Tebal) – have resigned with former secretary-general Datuk Sallehuddin Hashim promising that more would follow suit.

“It is not coincidental that all of a sudden, the stated MPs profess losing confidence with the party and wanting to build 'an independent block' when the plain fact is that the defectors were driven by monetary rewards,” said Latheefa.

“The truth is PKR cannot compete with BN when it comes to monetary rewards,” she added.

Citing the political coup in Perak as an example, she said the BN grand design would include the alleged use of certain tycoons to help alleviate these debt-ridden and opportunistic Mps.

“It is simple common sense when suddenly some of them have now been cleared from their debts and are enriched,” she added.

BN has denied playing a role in the defections, and accused PKR of shifting the blame for its internal crisis.

'Sallehuddin manipulated them'

Meanwhile, Latheefa claimed that it was Sallehuddin, a former close ally of Anwar, who had facilitated these defections by “manipulating the weak-willed and fickle MPs who are pliable enough to be lured into the BN's trap”.“It is therefore of no surprise that Sallehuddin has been present at the last few defectors' press conference,” she added.

After his resignation as secretary-general, she said Sallehuddin had actively engaged with BN leaders, including Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak and his wife Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor.

“Sallehuddin himself revealed to several PKR leaders that he had meetings with both of them two days before Chinese New Year,” she charged.

“It is odd and dubious when someone who once held a key position in PKR had suddenly found confidence in the BN and its leaders.

“He would continue to spin the myth that he was disappointed with the party and other assorted lies and half truths, but the truth is that it is all due to dollars and cents,” she added.

Apart from Sallehuddin and the three MPs, PKR's former Penang deputy chief minister II Mohamad Fairus Khairuddin had also quit and joined Umno.

However, Latheefa vowed that PKR and Pakatan Rakyat would not be cowed by this vicious campaign.

“We know these attempts are calculated to cripple or destroy PKR as it poses a real threat to BN. After all in the last general election and most subsequent by-elections, BN lost many mixed seats to PKR. The party is nonetheless confident that these defections would only make us stronger,” she added.

courtesy of FreeMalaysiaToday