By Shazwan Mustafa Kamal - The Malaysian InsiderKUALA LUMPUR, March 23 — Bayan Baru MP Datuk Seri Zahrain Hashim today lashed out at Kalabakan MP Datuk Abdul Ghapur Salleh for challenging him to name all 30 Barisan MPs who were supposed to cross over to Pakatan Rakyat (PR) during the failed Sept 16 attempt to take over the government.
Abdul Ghapur had demanded earlier at a separate press conference that Zahrain retract his statement as well as apologise to him.
“I am surprised that he reacted in this way and turned it into a personal attack towards me. He accused me of quitting because I could not procure a project, because I had a protruding stomach.
“I don’t understand this, when I tried to explain in Parliament, he did not let me explain,” said Zahrain (picture).
According to the one-time PKR man, PR de facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim had allegedly told him that there were 34 to 40 MPs who were going to jump to PR on Sept 16, 2008.
Zahrain claimed that at the time of his speech, he could only remembered the eight names, and he only revealed those names to support his argument as to why he left the opposition party.
“I was just giving reasons why I left the party. Sept 16 was an example. If I were to remember what Anwar had told me, it was 34 to 40 MPs.
“The eight names were what I remembered when I was making my speech. There are more names. I have no bad intentions against Kalabakan; I know he is close to Anwar,” said Zahrain.
When asked by reporters why he had waited two years to make a move, he replied that he had been patient because he was toeing the party line but the issue surrounding Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng was the last straw.
“I was upset about Sept 16, but the last straw for me was when I was referred to the disciplinary committee. My intention was to reveal why I left the party, so I made Sept 16 as the example.
“For me the challenge to reveal the names is irrelevant. Why should I say sorry? I just told them what Anwar told me. If you want to be angry, be angry at Anwar,” he said.
Zahrain had named Abdul Ghapur, Dr Puad Zarkashi (Batu Pahat MP), Datuk Anifah Aman (Kimanis), Datuk Eric Majimbun (Sepanggar), Tengku Datuk Seri Azlan Sultan Abu Bakar (Jerantut), Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah (Gua Musang), Datuk Chua Soon Bui (Tawau) and Datuk Bung Mokhtar Radin (Kinabatangan) as those who were ready to defect.
Zahrain, who left the party last month to turn independent, also alleged that Anwar had said that he had the support of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong and the armed forces chief to form the new government.
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