A businessman and a voter registered in Malim Nawar today lodged a police report against Malim Nawar assemblyperson Keshvinder Singh for allegedly cheating the voters of the constituency by resigning from DAP and becoming a BN-friendly Independent.

NONE Veer Singh Ban Singh, 48 ( extreme right in photo ), lodged the report at the Malim Nawar police station under Section 415 of the Penal Code.

He was accompanied by Perak DAP leaders, including state deputy chief M Kulasegaran, state secretary Nga Kor Ming, Labour Bureau chief A Sivanesan and Keranji assemblyperson Chen Fook Chye

The businessman, who claimed to represent the 7,000-odd voters in Malim Nawar, asked the police to investigate Keshvinder for cheating the voters by persuading them to vote for him on a DAP ticket in the 2008 general election and jumping ship three weeks ago to become an Independent ‘friendly’ to BN.

"I have known Keshvinder since he was a child and he had approached me before the March 8, 2008 general election, claiming to be a state party leader.

"He wanted my assistance to campaign for him to win the Malim Nawar state seat," said Veer, who comes from the Indian settlement in Malim Nawar.

NONE "We went all out to help him win the state seat on a DAP ticket but after two years as a DAP state rep, he has betrayed us by jumping ship to BN suddenly, without informing us," said the visibly angry DAP supporter.

"Until today, he has not returned to his constituency to explain to us voters why he jumped ship and betrayed our trust and faith in him."

Veer told reporters he had consulted his lawyers who advised him to lodge a police report against Keshvinder under Section 415 of the Penal Code.

Commenting on the police report, Kulasegaran said, "This is a very unique case as for the first time, a voter has lodged a police report against an elected representative for jumping out of the party."

Embezzlement poser

"This is the greatest betrayal not to only to our party, which trusted him and fielded him on a DAP ticket, but also to his own Sikh community and to the voters of Malim Nawar," said the Ipoh Barat MP.

"In Malaysia, there must not only be personal morality but the benchmark must also apply to political morality.

"Malim Nawar is a special seat to us as this is the second time that we won the seat after 1986. We will establish a service centre here, which will be manned by Chen, to continue our service to the constituency’s voters and party supporters," Kulasegaran added.

Sivanesan, meanwhile, said both the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) and the Bar Council should investigate the circumstances that made Keshvinder ‘jump ship’.

NONE He said the authorities should also probe Keshvinder’s claim that his law firm’s female clerk had embezzled RM45,000 of his client's money.

Sivanesan alleged that Keshvinder ( at left in photo ) had suffered from financial problems and his car was repossessed last month when he could not pay the instalments. PAS Titi Serong assemblyperson Khalil Idham Lim Abdullah had loaned him RM3,500 to pay up his car loan arrears.

Sivanesan claimed that three weeks ago, Keshvinder had rang up four DAP leaders - Kulasegaran, Nga, Chen and himself and told them that his clerk had embezzled RM45,000 of his client's money and had absconded.

"We heard rumours that he is now holidaying in Australia for a month and we wonder how, despite his financial difficulties, did he get the money to travel to Australia. Did he strike a lottery or has he been funded by Umno to spend so luxuriously on a holiday to Australia?" asked Sivanesan.

"We want MACC to investigate this sudden luxurious lifestyle of Keshvinder’s and whether money politics was involved in his jumping ship to BN," Kulasegaran said.

"Also we want the Bar Council to investigate whether his allegation that his client's money of RM45,000 was misappropriated by his clerk is true or not.

"They (the Bar Council) should not wait for an official complaint before stepping in to investigate as a lawyer's client's money had allegedly gone missing and the reputation of the lawyer is at stake here," said Sivanesan.

Financial aid lacking

On June 15, Keshvinder at a press conference announced that he had quit DAP and was now a ‘BN-friendly’ Independent, making him the fourth Perak Pakatan Rakyat state assemblyperson to do so since February last year.

He cited too much politicking in Pakatan as his reason for quitting.

"When I started doing work there (after February 2009) I found that there are severe poverty issues that really need to be solved," said Keshvinder, adding that he hoped the BN state government would provide financial aid so that he could serve his constituents.

"The state and national DAP did not assist me in helping the people. I couldn't do anything for my constituents as an opposition state assemblyperson," he said, claiming that he had been using his own funds thus far.