The Malaysian ruling party flew more than a third of government lawmakers to Taiwan on Monday in a hastily arranged trip, ostensibly to study farming techniques.
But the trip was widely interpreted as a government effort to try to stop lawmakers from shifting their support to Anwar Ibrahim.
Anwar needs 30 more seats to oust the government and form his own. His National Justice Party is openly wooing members of the ruling coalition.
Salehuddin Hashim, the National Justice secretary-general, called the trip a “kidnapping” meant to protect the coalition, Barisan Nasional, which has ruled Malaysia for 51 years but is fracturing.
Officials insisted that the trip by about 50 members of parliament was strictly for study purposes.
But Tricia Yeoh, director of the Centre for Public Policy Studies, a Malaysian research group, said the trip would give Barisan officials an opportunity to try to dissuade potential defectors.
“The Barisan government is really grasping at straws,” she said.
Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday said the Malaysian lawmakers will not conduct any official business or meet any high ranking Taiwanese officials on their trip.
“MOFA welcomes them to Taiwan and will be happy to offer any assistance that the lawmakers might need,” said MOFA spokesman Henry Chen (陳銘政).ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY JENNY W. HSU
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