Umno MP lashes out at Zahrain over Sept 16 claim
By Rahmah Ghazali, Free Malaysia Today
Outspoken Umno Kalabakan parliamentarian Abdul Ghapur Salleh ripped into Independent Bayan Baru MP Zahrain Mohamed Hashim over the latter’s startling allegations on the Sept 16, 2008 government takeover.
“He could be fatter and happier now, but I don’t know why he would involve my name in the first place,” he said during his debate on the royal address in Dewan Rakyat.
“I want the Bayan Baru MP to retract what he had said and apologise to me. Is he here or not?” asked Ghapur.
Zahrain, the former PKR MP recently linked Ghapur’s name to seven other BN MPs who he claimed were supposed to defect to Pakatan Rakyat to form a new government.
“Zahrain’s claims are a ‘lie’ and Umno should never open its doors to such leaders like him. I’m not somebody who jumps party,” Ghapur said.
“I was not asked to defect. Maybe those who did not defect weren’t offered enough. But for the Bayan Baru (MP), the bait must have been huge,” he added.
He also accused Zahrain of “being paid” before he made his claims about the Sept 16 takeover of the federal government.
“If he (Zahrain) knew about this (takeover), why didn’t he leave PKR two years ago (during the Sept 16 episode)? He is now independent and has his pockets full (of money).
“Please Umno, don’t accept this kind of people. If he could gigit (backstab) his own leaders, he could gigit our leaders as well,” Ghapur said.
The seven other MPs Zahrain claimed who were willing to cross over to PKR were Puad Zarkashi (BN-Batu Pahat), Foreign Minister Anifah Aman (BN-Kimanis), Bung Mukhtar Radin (BN-Kinabatangan), Chua Soon Bui (Independent-Tawau), Enchin Majimbun (Independent-Sepanggar), Tengku Azlan Sultan Abu Bakar (BN-Jerantut) and Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah (BN-Gua Musang).
Zahrain left PKR earlier this month following a fallout with PKR’s de facto Anwar Ibrahim.
Added Ghapur: “I have been keeping mum on this matter although reporters approached me and asked if I was involved. I wanted to wait until I could make an official statement (in the Dewan Rakyat).”
