'Offered millions' to jump ship

Petaling Jaya - The offers to jump ship came over the phone, accompanied by promises of millions of dollars and Cabinet posts.
Some of the callers were well-known local businessmen, some anonymous. Their goal: to win faithfuls from the ruling coalition Barisan Nasional (BN) over to the opposition Pakatan Rakyat.

For several BN state assemblymen and MPs, they were tempting offers indeed.

Some state assemblymen said they were offered several million ringgit to switch political allegiance, while the rate offered to MPs was much higher. Some phone calls, said BN members, would lead to meetings, sometimes with opposition leaders.

Such tactics were revealed by the chairman of the Barisan Backbenchers Club, Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing, local media reported yesterday. Two MPs, he said, told him they got the phone calls from a businessman and a lawyer two weeks ago.

'I know who the businessman and the lawyer are but I cannot reveal the names as well as the amount they offered,' he told The Star daily.

The reports emerged as opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim continues to claim that he has won over enough BN MPs to form the next government. Datuk Seri Anwar now needs 29 BN MPs to defect.

But so far, it appears the BN MPs have turned down the offers.

'We have signed petitions and pledged our loyalty to BN,' said Kota Belud MP Rahman Dahlan, who had also received offers to defect.

'But he (Anwar) will go on claiming that our names including mine are on the list...at the end of the day, when it doesn't happen, he will claim that we changed our minds.'

Some of the callers, MPs said, were well-known. One was reportedly a former politician-turned-businessman who was convicted of a white-collar crime in the late 1990s while another was known for his links to artistes, royalty and investors.

The constant talk of defections has angered backbenchers, many of whom said the rumours marred their reputation.

Mr Tiong's words yesterday drew a sharp reply from opposition Parti Keadilan Rakyat information chief Tian Chua, who demanded proof of the allegations.

'Pakatan has a firm principle and there is no way we will offer any MP money to cross over,' The Star quoted him as saying.