Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim claimed yesterday that many lawmakers in the ruling coalition wanted to defect to his camp after their election debacle.
Anwar told reporters he had been approached by many ruling party lawmakers who won in the March 8 general elections. They are welcome to defect, but no bribes will be paid to make them to cross over, he said.
"We will remain consistent and committed to the code of ethics. If you want to surrender at a price you have chosen the wrong party," he told reporters.
Buying political support, especially by paying voters money, is common in Malaysia and bribing lawmakers to defect, while not widespread, is known to occur.
The three-party opposition alliance stitched together by Anwar won an unprecedented 82 seats in the 222-member parliament in the elections. It needs 30 more lawmakers to get a majority needed to unseat the National Front coalition's government.
Anwar's claim could not be immediately confirmed, but would add to persistent rumors of political horse-trading in the aftermath of the disastrous poll results for Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's coalition.
Abdullah says he has the full support of his party and has rejected calls to step down. But Anwar's claim, if true, would add pressure on him to keep the party together.
Anwar did not say how many National Front members have approached him, but said they belonged to Abdullah's United Malays National Organization, the main party in the National Front, as well as other smaller parties.
"People have approached and discussed ... but no one dared raise the issue of price [of defection] to me," he said, without elaborating. He said he believes some will eventually defect, even without monetary inducement.
But he refused to say if the numbers would be enough to topple the National Front government, which is facing its worst political crisis in the 51 years it has been in power.
Anwar said many of those who approached him won their seats from Sabah and Sarawak states on Borneo island, which have emerged as UMNO's political stronghold after its spectacular loss of support in mainland Malaysia.
The National Front won 54 out of the 56 seats in the two states, accounting for nearly 39 percent of its total 140 seats it Parliament. Most of the 54 seats were won by UMNO candidates.
Meanwhile, an Islamic opposition legislator was sworn in yesterday as the chief minister of the northern state of Perak, ending a power struggle that threatened to undercut spectacular electoral strides by the fragile opposition alliance.
Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin of the Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party, took an oath of office to become the new chief minister for a five-year term, leading a state government that comprises three opposition groups, party spokesman Asmuni Awi said.
The three parties in the opposition alliance managed to wrest Perak's state legislature from Abdullah's ruling coalition in the elections, but their triumph has been marred over the past week by infighting over the chief minister's post and other power-sharing arrangements.
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