KUALA LUMPUR – Perikatan Nasional (PN) chairman Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin has reiterated the coalition’s denial that it offered bribes worth RM1 billion to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong as part of supposed plans to topple the unity government.
Muhyiddin, who is also Bersatu president, also accused those spreading the “slanderous” accusation of committing sedition and dragging the royal institution into dirty political tactics.
“Claims that PN had attempted to bring the Agong to bring down the government are reckless, outrageous and absurd slander,” the former prime minister said in a statement today.
Muhyddin claimed this slander had been taken as truth by several Pakatan Harapan (PH) figures “including those with positions in the government”.
“I remind PH leaders and their followers not to drag the institution of the constitutional monarchy into malicious and slanderous political tactics,” he said.
He also added that PN secretary-general Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainuddin, who is also opposition leader, had lodged a police report yesterday to clear the coalition’s name.
Muhyiddin said attempts to change or form a new government are to be done constitutionally, either through elections or when the prime minister resigns.
PN lodged the police report yesterday as it was named in a January 8 post on the anonymous blog site “Media Rakyat Network” that the coalition had attempted to bribe the monarch with RM1 billion to form a new government.
Since last month, there have been other claims made by unofficial sources of MPs preparing statutory declarations to change support and form a new government, as well as talk of former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and former finance minister Tun Daim Zainuddin behind such plans to topple the present government. – January 11, 2024