T’ganu assemblyman arrested, political intrigue seen

(Suara Keadilan) – The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission have arrested a Terengganu state assemblyman and two of his friends for allegedly demanding bribes from a landscape company.

However, speculation is rife that the 42-year old Umno elected representative is the latest victim in a bitter political feud waged between Menteri Besar Ahmad Said and his predecessor Idris Jusoh.

Ahmad, whose appointment by the Terengganu Sultan was against the wishes of his party mates, has been fighting an internal rebellion that broke out into the open earlier this year.

He clung onto power after a high-level meeting with Prime Minister Najib Razak and DPM Muhyiddin Yassin at Putrajaya.

But the tensions between the two factions did not die out and instead has been just as fierce and bitter even though the rift went underground.

The MB said on Monday that his state government would not interfere in the matter and will let the MACC conduct its inquiry. It now remains to be seen what retaliatory moves his rivals will make.

According to Bernama, the trio are now at the Kemaman police headquarters, where they have been remanded for five days to help in investigations.

When arrested, the MACC found RM5,000 on the assemblyman – a third of the RM15,000 he is believed to have received from the company over a landscape project worth about RM2 million.