KOTA KINABALU – Labuan MP Datuk Suhaili Abdul Rahman, the Bersatu lawmaker who recently pledged his support for Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, is mulling legal action against those who have accused him of accepting bribes to switch his allegiance.
He said the claims had insulted him and three other Bersatu MPs who are also now supporting Anwar, as they have been alleged to have received bribes of RM5 million to RM6 million.
“We don’t need to be bribed to make such a decision. MPs have the right to make decisions for the people,” he told reporters today at the Parti Gagasan Rakyat Sabah annual delegates meeting 2023 at the Sabah International Convention Centre here.
Suhaili also denied claims that he had discussed switching support with the three other MPs, saying he did not know them personally well enough to talk about such a matter.
The other three are Datuk Iskandar Dzulkarnain Abdul Khalid (Kuala Kangsar), Mohd Azizi Abu Naim (Gua Musang), and Zahari Kechik (Jeli), who have said that even though they now support Anwar, they would still remain members of opposition party Bersatu.
Suhaili admitted that his change in support was to get federal constituency allocations for Labuan.
“We (Sabah and Labuan) people are not like them in the Peninsular. We are poor, we have a lot of those who are still in poverty,” he said.
He has already received the funds – RM300,000 – soon after pledging his support for Anwar, and said he would be using the money to give school bags to poor children and as aid to flood victims.
On the Anti-Party Hopping Act which came into force last year, Suhaili said his decision to support the prime minister did not concern the law, adding that it was not his fault if the law had a loophole.
“I don’t know. What I know is the anti-hop law allows me to pledge support to the prime minister. It is not my fault, isn’t it?”
Under the law, elected lawmakers lose their seats if they join another party. It does not address a lawmaker’s change of allegiance without leaving their party.
Suhaili and the three other Bersatu MPs remain as elected representatives, while facing disciplinary action from their party, including suspensions. – November 13, 2023