Amid allegations that Perikatan Nasional’s (PN) election funds were partially sourced from gambling companies, the Muhyiddin Yassin-led coalition said it will not disclose the funds it received.
Its deputy Youth chief Wan Ahmad Fayhsal Wan Ahmad Kamal said it is not the practice of political parties to make their funding public.
“We will not be presenting the list. No political parties have done that (present a list of funds received) before,” he added.
Wan Fayhsal (above) told reporters this after lodging a report at the Dang Wangi district police headquarters against Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim for implying that part of the coalition’s funds for its 15th general election campaign came from gambling firms.
However, he said PN is open to debating the political funding bill in Parliament.
“If that’s among the main issues, then go ahead. As an MP, I, too, call for this.
“It was supposed to be solved during Ismail Sabri Yaakob’s tenure (as prime minister) but Parliament had already been dissolved, so there was no time for that.
“It’s all right. We should wait for the next parliamentary sitting for this,” he added.
On Sept 24, former minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Parliament and Law) Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar said the government expected the Political Funding Bill to be tabled for the first reading in Parliament in early November and the second reading in late November.
However, it was not approved or debated in the Dewan Rakyat as Parliament was dissolved on Oct 10, after Ismail Sabri received the consent of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.
‘Anwar playing a political game’
Wan Fayhsal slammed Anwar for attempting to build a negative perception against PN, especially during the recent Padang Serai parliamentary seat and the Tioman state seat election campaigns.
“It’s Anwar’s political game to build a perception that we had received money from the gambling companies.”
The Bersatu Youth chief said the police report that he lodged includes Anwar’s claims that he has evidence of RM600 billion of improprieties allegedly linked to PN.
This police report showed that PN takes Anwar’s slanderous claims seriously and the coalition has nothing to hide, he added.
“If he wants to know the truth about the matter, he should just ask his minister, Tengku Zafrul (Abdul Aziz) who is part of the cabinet.
“He was in charge during the whole period of the stimulus packages issued by the government.
“He (Anwar) is trying to play perceptions, trying to tarnish our image, playing politics in the very first week he held the cabinet. What is this kind of government you are expecting from Pakatan Harapan?” Wan Fayhsal said.
In making his claims recently, Anwar also said that probes were underway on the RM600 billion that was awarded without tender on unspecified matters.
The Harapan chairperson also took potshots at Muhyiddin for admitting that the bulk of pandemic aid provided when the latter was prime minister was the people's own monies, including their Employees Provident Fund savings.
Muhyiddin had used this as a defence to deny allegations that RM600 billion was appropriated by his administration.
However, Anwar said the improprieties involved other funds during the pandemic.
‘No plan to topple Anwar’
On other matters, Wan Fayhsal denied claims that PN was making efforts to ensure that it would return to federal power.
“That’s not true. We respect the Agong’s decision that this is Harapan’s ‘mix government’ led by Anwar and we have made up our minds to remain as opposition.
“That is the political decision that we accept and we will hold to it for the coming five years,” he added.
Previously, Arau MP Shahidan Kassim said Anwar’s cabinet would not last long as PN will reclaim Putrajaya.
Shahidan said PN was grateful for the extraordinary support shown to the coalition, adding that it’s a good sign.
On Parti Solidariti Tanah Airku (Star) quitting PN, Wan Fayhsal said Star is free to choose its own path and the coalition respects the Sabah-based party’s decision. - Mkini
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