A group of Umno branch leaders in the Kulim-Bandar Baharu division today urged former Information Minister Abdul Kadir Sheikh Fadzir to sue The Malaysian Insider news portal for its posting of a statement, allegedly by him, on alleged vote buying by BN.

Mat Saad Osman, who claimed to be the spokesman for the group, said they met Abdul Kadir in Kuala Lumpur last Feb 19 and he (Abdul Kadir) denied that he made such a statement.

"We want Tan Sri Abdul Kadir to sue The Malaysia Insider news portal because he denied making the statement when we met him in Kuala Lumpur last Feb 19," he said, reading from a prepared text at a media conference at Surau Kampung Air Merah here.

He said another option was for Abdul Kadir to make a public apology to voters in Kulim-Bandar Baharu constituency.

Mat Saad, 60, who is Air Merah Umno branch leader, claimed to represent seven branches in the Kulim-Bandar Baharu division.

Last January, Abdul Kadir  was alleged to have issued a statement claiming that voters in the Kulim-Bandar Baharu parliamentary constituency were paid RM200 to RM1,000 each to vote for BN in the last general election.

- Bernama