I was offered cash to defect, claims Rahman
Daily Express (15/5/08): Kota Belud MP Datuk Rahman Dahlan said he received a call offering him a huge sum of money and a Cabinet position should he switch allegiance to the Pakatan Rakyat.
He said the Opposition was not walking the talk since they had been calling the Barisan Nasional (BN) not to be involved in bribery but, instead, were practising corruption.
"I wish to ask whether the efforts of certain Opposition leaders offering inducement to (BN) MPs to entice them to jump (to the Opposition side) is not considered corruption," he said.
Participating in the debate on the motion of thanks to the royal address in Parliament here early this week, Rahman said that after offering money they then offered him a position in the Cabinet.
"Is it not bribery?," he asked.
Earlier, he said the Opposition should not be too overjoyed to hear the speeches of MPs from Sabah because they were actually the voices of Malaysians in Sabah at the grassroots level.
"Party hopping is not the main issue here. It came about because of other factors, that is the people in Sabah and Sarawak still thinking that the Federal Government is sidelining them.
"So it is not right for everyone to focus on the party hopping issue because the main issue here is the feeling of the people in Sabah who need the Federal Government's care and love. That is all," he said.
If all these grouses could be overcome the question of switching to the other side would not arise anymore, he said, adding that all these problems had already been relayed to the Prime Minister who is currently making efforts to solve them.
"It will be impossible to meet all these requests in just a blink of an eye," he said.
Rahman also raised the issue of the power transition arrangement in the PKR after Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, which is important for the people to know should they form the government and become Prime Minister and whether the arrangement would affect the nation's stability.
He asked if PKR President Datin Seri Wan Azizah who is Permatang Pauh MP would leave her husband's shadow to take over the Prime Minister's post from him.
"Would the Pakatan Rakyat spring a surprise to create history by appointing the (Malaysia's) first Prime Minister from the Chinese or Indian community? We wait," he said.
"Maybe the Pakatan Rakyat would give chance to the PAS President who is MP for Marang to become Prime Minister," he said, adding that it might not be the case since the PAS President's dressing and image would send the wrong impression to international investors.
On another note, Rahman in urging the government to solve the illegal immigrant problems in the country proposed the levy and foreign workers processing fees be reduced.
Currently employers feel the high levy and processing fees are burdening them, he said, adding that by reducing the levy and fees it would encourage more foreign workers to come into the country legally.
"With more of them coming in legally, the easier it is for the government to monitor their activities in the country," he said.
Rahman also called for the government at all level to ensure the highly-publicised Sabah Development Corridor (SDC) project becomes a reality.
"Don't let it become a joke among the people because there have been so many instances where promises were not kept," he said, citing the promise to set up four Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency bases in Sabah as an example.
"Its intention is good to safeguard the State from negative elements like smuggling, piracy and intrusion by illegal immigrants but until now there is no sign of the project. In fact I was made to understand that even the sites are yet to be identified," he said.
He said the Opposition was not walking the talk since they had been calling the Barisan Nasional (BN) not to be involved in bribery but, instead, were practising corruption.
"I wish to ask whether the efforts of certain Opposition leaders offering inducement to (BN) MPs to entice them to jump (to the Opposition side) is not considered corruption," he said.
Participating in the debate on the motion of thanks to the royal address in Parliament here early this week, Rahman said that after offering money they then offered him a position in the Cabinet.
"Is it not bribery?," he asked.
Earlier, he said the Opposition should not be too overjoyed to hear the speeches of MPs from Sabah because they were actually the voices of Malaysians in Sabah at the grassroots level.
"Party hopping is not the main issue here. It came about because of other factors, that is the people in Sabah and Sarawak still thinking that the Federal Government is sidelining them.
"So it is not right for everyone to focus on the party hopping issue because the main issue here is the feeling of the people in Sabah who need the Federal Government's care and love. That is all," he said.
If all these grouses could be overcome the question of switching to the other side would not arise anymore, he said, adding that all these problems had already been relayed to the Prime Minister who is currently making efforts to solve them.
"It will be impossible to meet all these requests in just a blink of an eye," he said.
Rahman also raised the issue of the power transition arrangement in the PKR after Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, which is important for the people to know should they form the government and become Prime Minister and whether the arrangement would affect the nation's stability.
He asked if PKR President Datin Seri Wan Azizah who is Permatang Pauh MP would leave her husband's shadow to take over the Prime Minister's post from him.
"Would the Pakatan Rakyat spring a surprise to create history by appointing the (Malaysia's) first Prime Minister from the Chinese or Indian community? We wait," he said.
"Maybe the Pakatan Rakyat would give chance to the PAS President who is MP for Marang to become Prime Minister," he said, adding that it might not be the case since the PAS President's dressing and image would send the wrong impression to international investors.
On another note, Rahman in urging the government to solve the illegal immigrant problems in the country proposed the levy and foreign workers processing fees be reduced.
Currently employers feel the high levy and processing fees are burdening them, he said, adding that by reducing the levy and fees it would encourage more foreign workers to come into the country legally.
"With more of them coming in legally, the easier it is for the government to monitor their activities in the country," he said.
Rahman also called for the government at all level to ensure the highly-publicised Sabah Development Corridor (SDC) project becomes a reality.
"Don't let it become a joke among the people because there have been so many instances where promises were not kept," he said, citing the promise to set up four Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency bases in Sabah as an example.
"Its intention is good to safeguard the State from negative elements like smuggling, piracy and intrusion by illegal immigrants but until now there is no sign of the project. In fact I was made to understand that even the sites are yet to be identified," he said.
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