Written by FMT, Mkini
Hamzah’s aide denies RM1bil palace bribe claim
An aide to Hamzah Zainudin has denied an allegation that the opposition leader offered RM1 billion to Istana Negara to help topple the unity government.
Ikhwan Fadhli, Hamzah’s private secretary, said the claim made in a blog post was slanderous and aimed to tarnish the Perikatan Nasional (PN) secretary-general’s name.
Ikhwan also expressed disappointment over the government’s inaction in preventing the post involving the palace from spreading.
“The article was uploaded on Jan 8, and as of today, it’s still on X and the blog.
“What is the response of the government or government supporters? Has a police report been filed to investigate the person who published the article? No, no action has been taken by them,” he told reporters after lodging a report at the Dang Wangi police headquarters.
The blog post alleged that Hamzah had set aside some RM1 billion in funds for the purpose of toppling the unity government.
It claimed funds were also set aside to bribe government MPs into retracting their support for Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.
On Monday, Anwar’s political secretary Azman Abidin called for an investigation into the allegation, saying the development, if true, did not augur well for Malaysia’s economic recovery.
Previously, speculation arose about the so-called “Dubai Move”, a reference to alleged discussions in the United Arab Emirates between opposition leaders and certain government representatives to topple the Anwar administration.
The alleged meeting, which Anwar and other government leaders have played down, supposedly aimed to divide tasks among “agents” to identify MPs who would defect to the opposition.
Meanwhile, Bersatu Youth’s assistant secretary Faiz Rahmad said the wing’s members would lodge police reports nationwide over the claim against Hamzah.
Faiz said this was to defend the integrity of the palace and PN’s MPs. FMT
King assures palace will not be involved in political manoeuvres - PM
The Yang di-Pertuan Agong today gave assurance that the palace would not get involved in any political manoeuvres, according to Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.
This was relayed in a pre-cabinet meeting between the prime minister and the king today.
"His Majesty decreed that I, as prime minister, and the Madani government continue our work administering the country.
"His Majesty also decreed that the palace would not be involved in any political manoeuvres," Anwar said in a statement today.
This comes amid persistent rumours that the opposition is trying to stage a political coup and unseat the Anwar administration.
"I also suggested that if anyone wants to donate RM500 million or RM750 million, it should be channelled directly to the poor and needy in the country," Anwar added.
It is unclear what Anwar meant by this remark.
However, it may be in reference to allegations that a large sum of money is being spent to entice government MPs to defect.
By convention, the prime minister has an audience with the Agong one day before cabinet convenes to inform the monarch about what would be discussed by the ministers.
The current Agong, Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah of Pahang, will end his reign as king on Jan 30.
He will be succeeded by Johor's Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar.
Last week, Sultan Ibrahim said he would not be granting any audiences other than those already scheduled until after he is crowned as Agong on Jan 31.
The statement came after allegations surfaced that the opposition purportedly had 120 statutory declarations on hand to form the next government. MKINI
Act on J-Kom for starting ‘Dubai Move’ talk, says Tuan Ibrahim
With police reports lodged on the matter, the PAS deputy president recalls how speculation of the ‘Dubai Move’ was started by J-Kom.
PAS deputy president Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man says action should be taken against those responsible for starting the ‘Dubai Move’ rumour, naming J-Kom in particular.
PAS deputy president Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man has called for action to be taken against the government’s community communications department (J-Kom) for starting the “Dubai Move” rumour.
Tuan Ibrahim noted that several police reports had been lodged on the matter, calling for action to be taken for the speculation of an attempt to topple the unity government.
“Who started this rumour about the ‘Dubai Move’? Wasn’t it J-Kom that started it?
“So action should be taken against those who caused this issue to spread in the first place,” the Kubang Kerian MP said in a Facebook post.
In December, Berita Harian quoted J-Kom deputy director-general Ismail Yusop as saying that a meeting was held in the United Arab Emirates to identify MPs who might be persuaded to switch support to the opposition.
He claimed that the meeting involved opposition leaders and certain government representatives.
The alleged meeting, which Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and other government leaders have played down, supposedly aimed to divide tasks among “agents” to identify MPs who would defect to the opposition.
On Monday, Anwar’s senior political secretary Shamsul Iskandar Akin lodged a police report about the “Dubai Move” to “end speculation that could cause public unrest and affect investor confidence”.
Shamsul said a recent blog post by controversial blogger Raja Petra Kamarudin proved the existence of a serious movement to overthrow the government. Similar reports were lodged by PKR Youth and another aide to Anwar.
Deputy human resources minister Abdul Rahman Mohamad also lodged a report last week after being linked to the alleged plot to topple Anwar.
On Sunday, Kedah menteri besar Sanusi Nor claimed Perikatan Nasional had acquired enough statutory declarations to overthrow the unity government.
PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang also said his party was ready for a change of government through “democracy and (the) constitutional monarchy”. FMT
Written by FMT, Mkini
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