Pakatan Rakyat has slammed Salehuddin Hashim

IPOH, Mac 3: Pakatan Rakyat has slammed former PKR secretary-general Salehuddin Hashim over widespread allegations that he had burrowed into the secret lives of party members and was now abusing this knowledge, following the decision by Bagan Serai MP Mohsin Fadzli Samsuri to quit PKR.

“Given the uncertain political climate and the growing desperation of Prime Minister Najib Razak, I am not surprised there has been another cross-over,” deposed Mentri Besar of Perak Nizar Jamaluddin told Harakahdaily.

“From my past dealings with him, Mohsin does not strike me as someone who would jump for just dollars and cents, but we all have private lives. It is not impossible that he may have been victimized by people like Salehuddin.”

Shaming weaknesses

Indeed, Salehuddin was at the press conference where Mohsin announced his decision to quit on Wednesday morning.

Speculation has been rife that he is the ringleader behind the defections and was hand-picked by Umno because of his in-depth knowledge of PKR members and their strengths and weaknesses.

According to a Malaysia Today news report, even PKR's Wangsamaju MP Wee Choo Keong was at threat as Umno has threatened to reveal information about his private life.

"It would not be unexpected but it would be most disappointing that a man like Salehuddin could sink so low for the sake of money," PKR strategic director Tian Chua told Harakahdaily.

“It would be a shame if he had indeed abused his six years as PKR secretary-general to dig into the private lives of members,” Nizar said.

Continuing the Mahathir legacy of corruption

Meanwhile, Mohsin told reporters said he was quitting PKR because of unhappiness over the Allah issue. Although he said he would be an Independent lawmaker, there is little doubt that he will vote on the side of the Umno-BN in Parliament.

“In the name of Allah, I would like to announce my resignation from PKR,” Mohsin told reporters.

The Bagan Serai MP is the third federal lawmaker to leave PKR in the past four weeks, after Bayan Baru’s Zahrain Mohd Hashim and Nibong Tebal’s Tan Tee Beng.

There is red-hot speculation that Najib has established a RM50 million fund to finance the defections of 10 Pakatan MPs.

His aim is to muster the two-thirds majority needed to get Parliament to redraw constituencies. Not only will the gerrymandering exercise will give Umno-BN an unfair advantage over the Pakatan at the next general election, such a move would also allow his family to stay in political power.

"It is becoming clear that Najib is more of Mahathir's heir than his father's son. He is borrowing ideas and strategies from a long-past era," said Tian.

"The saddest thing is he is continuing the Mahathir legacy of corruption and abuse. It won't help him to stay in power because the world has changed, it will only destroy his family name and tarnish Umno."

Is it really about Allah

The Islamic-based PAS has also lambasted the unscrupulous methods, warning that it would not only tarnish Umno but also the Malay community.

Nizar also expressed surprise over Mohsin’s excuse for quitting over the Allah row, which came about after a High Court ruling that the word could be used by non-Muslims to describe God.

Umno has insisted that Allah was for Muslims only. However, PAS – which is governed by a core panel of ulamaks or religious experts – believe that Allah could be used by everyone in the country so long as there were guidelines to prevent its abuse.

“If Mohsin truly follows the teachings of the Quran, then the first party he should reject is Umno because of its stand on Allah, which is against the Quran and motivated by racial politicking and not religious principles,” said Nizar, who is also the PAS MP for Bukit Gantang and assemblyman for Pasir Panjang.

"I would urge all Pakatan MPs and ADUNs not to be demoralized by what is happening. Don't go for the quick gain. It is not worth it. In Perak, PAS, DAP and PKR assemblymen were offered RM10 to 25 million ringgit to defect. As we know, some accepted but most didn't. Do you really want to go down in history as a turncoat, some who disappointed the country, someone who sold out for money?"