KUALA LUMPUR: Bayan Baru MP Datuk Seri Zahrain Mohd Hashim named eight Barisan Nasional MPs and an unnamed deputy Speaker whom he alleged the Pakatan Rakyat leadership claimed would cross over to Pakatan during the attempted Sept 16, 2008 government take-over.
He alleged in the Dewan Rakyat that the MPs from Kalabakan (Datuk Abdul Ghapur Sallehs), Kimanis (Datuk Anifah Aman), Kinabatangan (Datuk Bung Moktar Radin), Tawau (Dr Chua Soon Bui), Sepanggar (Eric Majimbun), Batu Pahat (Datuk Dr Puad Zakarshi), Jerantut (Datuk Seri Tengku Azlan Ibni Sultan Abu Bakar) and Gua Musang (Tengku Razaleigh) were set to cross over.
He told the House that he was disappointed with the Opposition, which had become engulfed with greed and self-interest, and had lost confidence in PKR after the attempted take over.
When Deputy Speaker Datuk Dr Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar asked who the Deputy Speaker was, Zahrain said, “You know, I know-lah.”
Zahrain, who quit PKR and was speaking as an Independent MP in Parliament Thursday, said that PKR Deputy President Senator Dr Syed Husin Ali had slandered him three days ago by saying that the process of cleansing had already been completed and that PKR was cleansed and rid of “grime and shit”.
“I would like to emphasise that God had done the cleansing process in PKR. We who are clean were removed from PKR and what was left was grime and shit,” he said when debating the motion of thanks on the Royal Address.
He advised Syed Husin to read the book Shit by literature Professor Emeritus Datuk Shanon Ahmad.
“Today, in this august House, I would like to expose the shit so that people know and will not continue to be hoodwinked with PKR’s play of politics,” he said.
N. Gobalakrishnan (PKR - Padang Serai) hit out at him by calling him the biggest hypocrite.
“I am willing befriend people who fight me but I won’t befriend people who betray the trust given to them,” he said.
Wan Junaidi reminded MPs not to use the word ‘kamu’ (you) and ‘pengkhianat’ (betrayer).
Tian Chua (PKR Batu) then took out a letter, apparently written by Zahrain to Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng, that he said debunked Zahrain’s purported loss of confidence in PKR after Sept 16, 2008.
Zahrain immediately protested that it was not relevant.
“If it was true that on Sept 16 he (Zahrain) had lost confidence, why did he, in a letter on June 8, 2009, write suggesting that the Pakatan council in Penang should meet once a month so that top leaders could discuss and interact better with each other.
“He had also said: I also suggest that you chair the meeting in Penang,” said Tian Chua.
Tian Chua went on to read: “On the confirmation of the title Datuk Seri, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the TYT (Tuan Yang Terutama) Governor for recommending me to receive it with your kind support.
“However, I understand from the meeting that TYT also proposed your goodself for the award of Datuk Seri of which you declined to accept and the TYT then suggested that the award be given to your father Lim Kit Siang who had contributed much to the nation.
“As a matter of respect to TYT, I will only accept the award of Datuk Seri in conjunction with your father’s acceptance of the same.
“I want to make it clear that I want to work closely with you and maintain a relationship that is both sincere and fraternal in nature.
“I also look forward to a good working relationship between you and the representatives of the state government,” Tian Chua finished reading.
“This shows that you agreed to receive the title,” he told Zahrain.
Zahrain said it was not for him to ask for the title.
Zahrain also said he supported the Yang di-Pertuan Agong Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin’s speech that voiced disappointment with the slanderous tone of the new media, including media portals.
He urged the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission to investigate MalaysiaKini and Raja Petra’s news portal Malaysia Today which, he claimed, worked hand in hand with the Opposition.
Almost an hour in his speech, Dr Siti Mariah Mahmud (PAS Kota Raja) and Dr Lo Lo Mohamed Ghazali (PAS Titiwangsa) protested that Zahrain had wasted time in the Dewan by repeating what he had said on Wednesday and the Dewan was being misused for political purposes.