ANTI-graft officials must immediately initiate investigations into claims by Umno youth chief Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki that Bersatu was trying to buy Umno members to defect, said Ramkarpal Singh. 

The Bukit Gelugor MP said the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission can begin probing, even if no official report has been made. 

He added that acts of enticing Umno members with money to defect was clearly an offence under the MACC Act 2009. 

“All that is needed is to initiate an investigation by taking a statement from Asyraf,” he said in a statement today. 

“Asyraf’s claim he has strong evidence Bersatu has been “stealing and buying Umno members” is a serious one, which merits immediate attention and I wonder if the MACC has done so,” said the DAP man. 

On Saturday, Asyraf said Bersatu must stop “buying” Umno members if it wants to preserve the Umno-Bersatu partnership.

“Lately, there have been many complaints and concerns from Umno members throughout the country that Bersatu members are stealing and buying Umno members,” Asyraf said in a statement.

“Some have confessed to being offered RM100 to join Bersatu with each ‘new’ branch being allocated RM3,000-RM5,000,” he added.

“If this phenomenon is to continue, it would only confirm the allegations that Bersatu and Perikatan Nasional are bent on destroying Umno.” 

Ramkarpal also said while it may be legally permissible to party-hop, it was certainly not legal to buy members of parties to cross over to others. 

He also said Asyraf’s claims were reminiscent of a leaked audio recording of a man resembling Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin enticing Umno leaders to join his party with promises of positions in the cabinet and government-linked companies. 

“Has the MACC taken any action in respect of the said audio recording? It has been nearly a year. I have raised this in Parliament as well.” 

“What is the outcome of investigations of the said alleged audio recordings of the prime minister? Is it doing anything about Asyraf’s claims?” 

He said the country needed the confidence something was being done about these serious allegations. 

Earlier today, PKR youth chief Akmal Nasir said Umno youth should lodge a report with the MACC over Bersatu’s use of money politics to entice Umno members. – January 4, 2021.