RM50,000 Wang Poket???

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 11 - Unhappy over not being invited to BN supreme council meetings despite having no faith in Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, former Sabah chief minister Datuk Yong Teck Lee is now hinting the coalition lawmakers touring Taiwan received RM50,000 in pocket money.

Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) president Yong had, in a posting on Tuesday, claimed that the party's two MPs - Datuk Eric Majimbun and Datuk Dr Chua Soon Bui - had rejected the Taiwan invitation plus RM50,000 pocket money allegedly given to each MP who went on the trip.

SAPP had decided in June to either move or support a no-confidence motion against the Prime Minister but its two attempts were anti-climatic. Its lawmakers failed to turn up in the first instance, while, on the second occasion, the Pakatan Rakyat motion by then Opposition leader Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, was rejected by the House Speaker.

Yong had also confirmed that he met with current Opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim but has yet to indicate if SAPP will join PR on Sept 16 - the opposition's much ballyhooed date of taking over the government.

The BN backbenchers are in Taiwan ostensibly on an agricultural study tour but it is widely seen as an attempt to thwart Anwar's promised takeover.

Anwar has said he will go to Taiwan to convince the BN lawmakers to join his coalition by Sept 16, but concedes that the takeover date could change.

BN leaders, however, remain confident that it will never happen. Meanwhile, an irate Datuk Bung Moktar Radin said none of the lawmakers now in Taiwan were paid RM50,000 as alleged by Yong. He challenged the SAPP president to lodge a police report if he thought it was true.

"No such offer was made. We are in Taiwan at our own expense as we want to learn how to improve agriculture in our respective constituencies," the Barisan Nasional Backbenchers Club deputy chairman told the New Straits Times.

He also stressed that the tour had nothing to do with the opposition's plan to form a new government on Sept 16, saying Anwar should stop confusing the people by claiming that many BN MPs would defect soon. The MPs in Taiwan are scheduled to return next Wednesday.

-TMI

TP - Kah kah kah kah kah... ni tak lain tak bukan kes dengki... bukan dengki tak leh pi Taiwan... dengki... kah kah kah kah kah... dalam keadaan mcm ni pun sempat lagi... ops... bukan sempat lagi... terrr... memula nak cover ke"tamak"an... tapi bile dengar "wang besar" wang besar" wang besar"... trus panggil press... mana tahan beb... biasa makan taik...