PERIKATAN Nasional (PN) will determine the fate of one of its MP who previously declared to support the leadership of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim while remaining a member of the opposition bloc.
PN secretary-general Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin said his party would hold a meeting soon to discuss the matter and then decide on further action against Kuala Kangsar MP Datuk Iskandar Dzulkarnain Abdul Khalid.
“In a day or two (we will hold a meeting); after that, we will make (a decision),” he told reporters when met in Parliament lobby today (Oct 18).
On Monday (Oct 16), Utusan Malaysia reported Bersatu information chief Datuk Razali Idris as saying that Iskandar Dzulkarnain may not be sacked from Bersatu.
Instead, he will only face the axe if he sits in the government bloc in Parliament, Razali added.
Last Thursday (Oct 12), Iskandar Dzulkarnain declared his support for Anwar, saying the move was to ease the burden faced by his constituents over the rising cost of living.
The Bersatu lawmaker said his decision was to see if Anwar would uphold his pledge regarding allocations for lawmakers.
He also said he could no longer stand to see his constituency left behind just because of political differences, but stressed he remained loyal to his party.
For the record, Anwar did not make any statements requiring opposition MPs to support the government’s policy in order to receive the allocations from the federal government.
Anwar and other government MPs, on the other hand, have repeatedly advised opposition MPs to hold discussions with the government in order to get the same allocation, and have assured them that the government is open to such discussions.
In response, Hamzah had released a statement the following day (Oct 13) alleging that the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) had threatened Iskandar Dzulkarnain with corruption charges if he did not declare his support for the government.
Hamzah also claimed that, in a recent meeting with PN chairman Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, Iskandar Dzulkarnain had appeared “visibly distressed” due to the intimidation being placed on him.
MACC chief Tan Sri Azam Baki had since denied the allegation and described it as an attempt to tarnish the reputation of the agency.
In the 15th General Election (GE15), Iskandar Dzulkarnain garnered 14,380 votes to win a four-cornered fight defeating UMNO candidate Maslin Sham Razman, Amanah candidate Dr Ahmad Termizi Ramli and Pejuang candidate Ahmad Termizi Ramli
The Bersatu Supreme Council member was the political secretary to former Perak Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Ahmad Faizal Azumu. – Oct 18, 2023
