Sidam rep: Brokers tried to get me to join Barisan
(The Star) – ALOR STAR: Sidam assemblyman Tan Chow Kang says several brokers have tried to entice him to cross over from PKR to the Barisan Nasional.
“Chinese, Indian and Malay brokers have approached me to hold negotiations since March last year,” he said.
“But I never entertained them so they have stopped bugging me.”
Chow Kang, 67, said he received more than 10 calls from brokers who were keen to arrange meetings with certain Barisan leaders.
“On the telephone they did not say why they wanted me to meet the Barisan leaders,” he said.
“But I told them if the meetings were about coaxing me to cross over to Barisan (I wasn’t interested), then I would scold them there and then. This is about political pride.”
“I may not agree with the present (PAS-controlled Pakatan Rakyat) government, but I will not betray the trust of my voters by crossing over to another coalition. I have my pride,” he added.
Asked whether he had lodged a report, he said he did not because there had been no meeting after he expressed his disgust at the brokers over the telephone.
Talk has been rife since August last year that several Pakatan assemblymen were being wooed to cross over to topple the government in Kedah.
The sole DAP elected representative, Lee Guan Aik, had said he would resort to drastic measures if the state government did not review its policy to increase the bumiputra housing quota from 30% to 50% for Malay reserve land which had been converted to freehold status.
Pakatan has 22 seats while Barisan has 14 in Kedah. Of Pakatan’s 22 seats, 16 are held by PAS while PKR has five and DAP one.
Bakar Arang assemblyman Tan Wei Shu, who is also a state executive councillor, described the crossover talks as old news.
Former Bukit Selambau assemblyman V. Arumugam had signed a statutory declaration claiming that he was offered RM5mil to cross over.
