Claims on MP buyout 'baseless' - NST

KOTA KINABALU: Contrary to claims that the opposition is on the hunt for rogue members of parliament in Sabah, Barisan Nasional leaders here say they know of no potential turncoats.

The claims were either dismissed as rumours or a ploy that was certain to fail, as Sabah has a history of elected representatives switching sides with some of them losing in subsequent polls.

Sabah Umno secretary Datuk Yahya Hussin said none of the 13 MPs from the party had been approached by the opposition.

"There is no report from any of our MPs and I believe this is just a rumour. I want to remind all MPs from the party not to entertain overtures by the opposition, if this rumour turns out to be true."

Sabah BN won 24 of the 25 parliamentary seats in the state through Umno and five state-based component parties, losing only the Kota Kinabalu seat to the DAP.

On Monday, PKR adviser Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim claimed that he had met a number of BN representatives, mostly in Sabah and Sarawak, to discuss their defections.

[More at http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/NST/Saturday/Frontpage/2192844/Article/index_html]