Gua Musang MP Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah today dismissed claims that he was among the eight Barisan Nasional MPs who were supposed to defect and join Pakatan Rakyat to form the federal government in 2008.

umno 2007 tengku razaleigh ku li 081107 "I do not want to comment on it. I have been with Umno for 48 years. The claim is a tall tale," he told reporters.

Independent MP for Bayan Baru Datuk Seri Zahrain Mohamed Hashim had named the eight BN MPs in the Dewan Rakyat yesterday, claiming that they had been set to cross over on Sept 16, 2008.

Tengku Razaleigh said that if indeed the claim was true, he would now beholding a senior position in the opposition Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR).

Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim is the PKR de facto leader.

Other than Razaleigh, Zahrain named Abdul Ghapur Salleh (Umno-Kalabakan), Anifah Aman (Umno-Kimanis), Bung Moktar Radin (Umno-Kinabatangan), Chua Soon Bui (Sapp-Tawau), Eric Majimbun (Sapp-Sepanggar), Dr Mohd Puad Zarkashi (Umno-Batu Pahat) and Tengku Azlan Sultan Abu Bakar (Umno-Jerantut).

   

Tengku Razaleigh also denied that he had been approached and coaxed to join PKR to enable the opposition to form the federal government about seven months after the general election in 2008.

"I'm not for sale and not available. If the claim is true, I would have been a leader in PKR," he said.

- Bernama

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