Lawmaker says MACC, AG duty-bound to investigate audio clip of Bersatu leader saying Umno MPs can be baited with positions

Lawyer Ramkarpal Singh speaks to reporters outside Bukit Aman police headquarters in Kuala Lumpur October 14,2019. — Picture by Ahmad Zamzahuri

KUALA LUMPUR, May 31 — The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission and the attorney general must start immediate investigations into a leaked recording of a Bersatu party leader claiming rival lawmakers could be enticed with government and GLC posts, said Ramkarpal Singh.

Commenting on the audio clip said to be from the Bersatu supreme council meeting prior to the party’s withdrawal from Pakatan Harapan on February 23, the Bukit Gelugor MP said the political appointments since then appeared to corroborate its contents.

While the previous Pakatan Harapan (PH) administration sought to avoid political appointments, the practice has returned in full force under the Perikatan Nasional (PN) government.

“The people have a right to know if the said recording is authentic and if so, whether MPs in PN were enticed into joining PN, which led to the fall of the democratically elected Pakatan Harapan government.

“In such circumstances, the MACC and the attorney general must act immediately without fear or favour by launching an investigation into whether the said recording is authentic,” Ramkarpal said in a statement.

In the clip leaked yesterday, a senior Bersatu leader is heard saying that Umno MPs could be convinced to defect if they were offered positions as ministers or in government-linked companies (GLCs).

The voice appeared to be of the same leader who spoke in a previously leaked clip and urged the Bersatu supreme council to put its trust in chairman Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, just hours before the so-called “Sheraton Move”.

A Bersatu party source authenticated the previous clip when contacted by Malay Mail.

Bersatu is locked in a civil war between the factions aligned with Dr Mahathir and president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.

On Thursday, the party notified Dr Mahathir and four others that their memberships have been revoked for consorting with rival parties in breach of the Bersatu constitution.

Dr Mahathir has refused to recognise the dismissal.

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