KOTA KINABALU: Sabah Progressive Party deputy president Datuk Eric Majimbun denied he was one of 13 Barisan Nasional MPs planning to cross over to Pa-katan Rakyat after the Permatang Pauh by-election next Tuesday.

"This is a cheap publicity stunt by the opposition to attract people's attention at the expense of others," said the member of parliament for Sepanggar.

Parti Keadilan Rakyat vice-president Datuk Dr Jeffrey Kitingan has said that 13 BN MPs, including two from SAPP, will switch camps if PKR adviser Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim wins the seat.

"That is typical of them. He did not even name me when he said 13 BN MPs, including two from SAPP. There are only two SAPP MPs, Datuk Chua Soon Bui and I. So in his statement he must have meant me, but why didn't he say so?"

Majimbun, who was in Permatang Pauh with Chua, MP for Tawau, to observe the election campaign, challenged Jeffrey to name all the other MPs ready to jump ship.
"Going by his statement, the 11 others are from Umno, so why not name them now."

Jeffrey claimed that the 13 MPs had met with him and expressed their support for Anwar. Sabah has 24 BN MPs.

Anwar is involved in a three-corner fight for the Permatang Pauh seat, vacated on July 31 by his wife and PKR president Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail.

The BN has fielded Seberang Jaya assemblyman Datuk Arif Shah Omar Shah. The third candidate is Hanafi Mamat of Angkatan Keadilan Insan Malaysia.