KOTA BARU: The Ketereh Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) member of Parliament (MP) has refuted rumours that he will join the two MPs from Gua Musang and Jeli who had declared their support for the unity government.
Major-General (Rtd) Datuk Khlir Mohd Nor said he has no intention to do so and is still loyal to the party.
"I am very loyal to the party that helped me a lot in getting the position which l am in now.
"I have no plans to declare my support to the Madani government and l am not the one who mentioned by certain quarters in their statements today.
"I will not betray more than 200,000 army veterans who have put their trust in me," he said.
Speaking to The New Straits Times, Khlir said the veterans had a lot of issues that need to be solved and he would continue to fight for them.
"It is better for me to be on the opposition side as l will be free to talk. If I am in the government, my hands will be tied .
"There are many issues involving veterans that need to be addressed and they need someone like me to raise it," he said.
Asked whether he has been approached by anyone or a 'political broker' to give his support to the prime minister and the unity government, Khlir said he reserved his comment.
"(It is) Not important for me to answer the question because my stance on this issue is clear. I will continue to work and serve the people in my constituency," he added.
Five of the 14 Kelantan assemblymen who won in the 15th General Election are from Bersatu.
With the Gua Musang and Jeli MPs declaring their support to the unity government. there are only three Bersatu MPs left.
Besides Ketereh, the other two parliamentary constituencies are Machang and Tanah Merah.
It was reported today that several more MPs from Bersatu will follow suit in the coming days following the decision of the four federal lawmakers to switch their support to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
Quoting sources, the report said at least four additional Bersatu MPs will join their fellow parliamentarians in lending their support to the unity government.
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.
Another report said Umno is expecting more Bersatu lawmakers to follow suit in declaring their support towards Prime Minister.
Umno president Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahidi said the support given by opposition MPs towards the prime minister must be seen positively.
He, however, said Umno divisions must not be 'too complacent' as most of Bersatu members who declare their support towards Anwar were former Umno members.