Why didn’t Wan Saiful report alleged threats and offers?

 

Wan Saiful Wan Jan, the Perikatan Nasional MP for Tasek Gelugor dropped a bombshell in the Dewan Rakyat on Feb 28, when he alleged that he had been offered RM1.7 million to be spent on his constituency.

The money was allegedly to be given in exchange for his support for the prime minister, Anwar Ibrahim.

His remarks caused an uproar with various MPs jumping to their feet questioning the veracity of his remarks.

Wan Saiful claimed to have received a phone call in which he was threatened and warned that he had to express support for the prime minister.

Due to the nature of the threat received, he said he agreed to meet, followed up by many other meetings, all at hotels across Kuala Lumpur.

The first was on Jan 17 at the Westin Hotel, followed by another at the JW Marriot Hotel, with one also scheduled for the end of February at the Corus Hotel.

He claimed that one of those he met was a friend, whom he refused to name. However, the other men who approached him had used fake names which they appeared to forget, or got wrong, when addressing one another.

There are many disturbing aspects to these allegations.

Bribery is a serious crime. Why didn’t Wan Saiful lodge a report with the police or the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission?

At the very least, there could have been a sting operation to catch the perpetrators red-handed.

However, it appears more likely he does not have evidence to back his allegations, and only wanted to make the government look bad, by deciding to tell his little secret in the Dewan Rakyat, where he knows he has immunity as an MP and need not provide any evidence or details.

Had he made this revelation outside Parliament, that someone had offered him money to support the prime minister, he may have found a charge of defamation lodged against him.

Who else would want to offer him money to support Anwar, but someone from the PKR president’s camp? Others may also argue, that perhaps it could have been a third party which wanted to make Anwar look bad,

If he had evidence of an attempt at bribery, he needs to report it and have his claims challenged in court.

Perhaps, the real purpose of this expose was to sow the seeds of uncertainty and confusion among the supporters of the unity government.

The other disturbing aspect of Wan Saiful’s behaviour is how he casually revealed that he “had no choice but to entertain the meet-ups because they have the power” and that if he did not accede to their request, “something unexpected beyond (his) control might happen.”

In claiming he fears for his safety, he seems to be making out that the people are probably thugs.

Propaganda game

Wan Saiful is only playing a propaganda game. When censured by the Speaker and asked to retract the remarks, Wan Saiful easily complied.

This was not a sign of compliance or humility on his part. Wan Saiful willingly withdrew his allegations because he knew that the damage had already been done. It would be widely reported that the bribe had been offered in exchange for his support for the PM. This was the message he wanted to come out of Parliament.

However, it is puzzling why the Speaker did not come down hard on him. Wan Saiful had made a personal attack and he’d done so without substance or evidence.

It is about time those who made personal attacks are punished so that they can be made an example. This may deter other recalcitrant MPs from repeating wild unsubstantiated claims in Parliament.

Wan Saiful should have been suspended from the Dewan Rakyat for six months and his allowance for that period withdrawn.

The other puzzle is the offer of a mere RM1.7 million for Wan Saiful’s constituency area. It seems a pittance and doesn’t make sense.

In the five years before the next election, he would receive only RM340,000 per year to spend on his constituency. It does not seem a huge amount although to be fair, any extra money to be spent on his constituency will come in handy.

When the MP for Jelutong, Pakatan Harapan’s RSN Rayer, urged Wan Saiful to lodge a report with the MACC, he said that he had all the records and warned Rayer not to test him or he would reveal the people, one by one.

At this point, either Rayer or the Speaker should have called his bluff.

The MPs were in the midst of the debate on the royal address when Wan Saiful dropped his expose.

The Yang di-Pertuan Agong, in opening Parliament, had advised MPs to behave and have a code of conduct and some decency.

Was Wan Saiful disrespectful of the Agong’s express wish for MPs to behave? The Agong had also stated his desire for the nation to have political stability but the seeds of confusion sowed by Wan Saiful does have the potential to cause the rakyat to lose confidence in the government.

When the ringgit is struggling, and our economy could do with a boost, it appears that the PN politicians just want to play politics. - FMT

The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of MMKtT.