KUALA LUMPUR: With Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) grappling with a loyalty crisis following the defection of four federal lawmakers to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, it is now learned that several more Members of Parliament will follow suit in the coming days.
At least four additional Bersatu MPs will join their fellow parliamentarians in lending their support to the 'Madani' government, sources revealed.
These four federal lawmakers belong to the Perikatan Nasional (PN) coalition, with two representing Perak and one each from Selangor and Kelantan.
The decision by opposition federal lawmakers to declare their allegiance to the government will entitle them to an additional RM4 million in parliamentary allocation, in addition to their existing RM3 million.
Bersatu's supreme council member, Datuk Wan Saiful Wan Jan, had previously stated that these lawmakers are being swayed by the allure of 'rampant' money politics to support Anwar.
Datuk Seri Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor, a prominent figure in the PN coalition and the director of their election campaign, has suggested that efforts to garner more support for Anwar from the opposite side of the aisle are being orchestrated by political intermediaries.
Recently, Zahari Kechik, the federal lawmaker from Jeli, joined three fellow Bersatu lawmakers in publicly voicing their support for the Anwar-led government.
Zahari's endorsement came less than 24 hours after Gua Musang MP Mohd Azizi Abu Naim declared his support for the Madani government, emphasising the well-being of his constituents as his primary motivation.
Mohd Azizi's declaration followed earlier endorsements from fellow Bersatu MPs, including Datuk Suhaili Abdul Rahman (Labuan) and Datuk Iskandar Dzulkarnain Abdul Khalid (Kuala Kangsar), who had already expressed their support for Anwar.
In a statement posted on his Facebook page, Mohd Azizi underscored that his backing of Anwar is rooted in the welfare and progress of his constituents.
Azizi's public support for Anwar coincided with with Bersatu's announcement of a six-year suspension for Suhaili due to his alignment with Anwar.
Two days earlier, Bersatu had also suspended Iskandar Dzulkarnain's membership for four years.
New Straits Times has also contacted two Bersatu leaders who have refused comment.