KUALA LUMPUR: Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) supreme council member Datuk Wan Saiful Wan Jan has claimed that there is a rampant activity of money politics taking place in the administration under the leadership of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
This comes after Bersatu lawmaker, Zahari Kechik (Jeli) declared his support for the prime minister on the basis of prioritising constituents' well-being less than 24 hours after Mohd Azizi Abu Naim (Gua Musang) declared support.
Wan Saiful, who is also the Tasek Gelugor MP said the decision was also well organised and calculated as Labuan MP Datuk Suhaili Abdul Rahman had received direct payment from the government after declaring support within a week.
"This is definitely a political attack. It is so calculated, so well organised and it relates directly to payment from the government (which was admitted by Suhaili).
"So to me, this is clear evidence that money politics is rampant in this country and it is being practised.
"(And) the exemplary practice is being shown by the prime minister," he said when approached by reporters at Parliament, this evening.
Wan Saiful added that if Anwar did not endorse money politics, the prime minister should give a heads up that allocations would not be granted, even if support was given.
"If he does not agree with money politics, he should have made an announcement from the start that any MPs supporting him will not receive allocations.
"However, it was not denied and he (Anwar) also said in Parliament that he welcomed maturity from these MPs.
"Hence, I believe that Anwar Ibrahim is not a person of integrity to speak about that topic (integrity)."
Earlier today, Zahari declared his support for Anwar's administration. He is the fourth MP from Bersatu who expressed support on the basis of prioritising the well-being of his constituents.
Another three Bersatu lawmakers who declared their support for the Madani government were Mohd Azizi (Gua Musang), Suhaili (Labuan) and Datuk Iskandar Dzulkarnain Abdul Khalid (Kuala Kangsar).
Meanwhile, when asked whether Bersatu would take stern action against Zahari and Mohd Azizi, Wan Saiful said a meeting would be held to allow the disciplinary board to take necessary actions.
"We will discuss the situation and the meeting will be led by the president (Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin) and secretary-general (Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainuddin) as this is a disciplinary violation.
"But, one thing for sure is that this situation shows a clear attack on Bersatu, especially after Labuan (Suhaili) openly declared that he had received the allocation.
This, he said, further proved that money politics were prevalent during Anwar's era and he used the public's money to garner support.
"(And) unfortunately, the target is Bersatu and the continuous attack towards us signifies that we are a real threat towards Anwar's government."