BUKIT MERTAJAM, Aug 19 — Parti Keadilan Rakyat vice-president Datuk Dr Jeffrey Kitingan has claimed that 13 Sabah MPs will cross over to the Pakatan Rakyat if PKR advisor Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim wins the Permatang Pauh by-election next Tuesday.
He also claimed that the 13 MPs had met him and expressed their support for Anwar, Bernama reports.
"We speak the truth. I am talking about the 13 MPs who will join Pakatan Rakyat after Anwar wins this (Permatang Pauh) by-election ... they are just waiting (to cross over)," he told reporters after delivering a talk in Jalan Berapit here last night.
Jeffrey said two of the MPs were from the Sabah Progressive Party and the rest from Umno.
The PR needs at least 30 more MPs to be able to form the federal government. Sabah has 24 Barisan Nasional MPs.
Anwar is involved in a three-cornered fight for the Permatang Pauh seat, vacated on July 31 by his wife and PKR president Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Ismail to enable Anwar become an MP. The BN is fielding Seberang Jaya state assemblyman Datuk Arif Shah Omar Shah. The third candidate is Hanafi Mamat of Angkatan Keadilan Insan Malaysia.
Umno's Kinabatangan MP Datuk Bung Mokhtar Radin, however, told The Malaysian Insider that "there is no way we are crossing over, even until hari kiamat (judgment day)".
He told reporters outside of Dewan Rakyat today that if the opposition persisted with these "big lies, then together with the other MPs, we will lodge a police report".
He stated that he met BN's Sabah MPs "every day and we are like brothers. They all deny any such intentions."
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