After years of denial from BN leaders, including Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak, a BN lawmaker has finally admitted that some 40 MPs were sent to Taiwan before Sept 16, 2008 to prevent them from defecting to Pakatan Rakyat.

During cross-examination at the Kuala Lumpur High Court, Deputy Speaker of Parliament Ronald Kiandee testified that the trip was meant to stop the mastermind of Sept 16 Anwar Ibrahim from approaching them.

"Was the trip organised to prevent further encroachment by Anwar? " asked Ranjit Singh.

"Yes," replied Kiandee ( left ), who had also joined the trip together with nine of his Sabah colleagues.

"Was the trip organised to prevent Sept 16 from happening?" asked the lawyer again.

"Yes," he said, adding that the trip was organised by the BN backbencher's club

Ranjit is representing Anwar in the opposition leader's RM100 million defamation suit against Foreign Minister Anifah Aman.

The trial was presided by Judicial Commissioner Siti Khadijah Hassan Badjenid, while lawyer Muhammad Shafee Abdullah represented Anifah.

 

In his written testimony, Ronald claimed a stranger called him at his house to offer him RM5 million to cross over.

"I do not remember his name, but he sounded Sabahan," he said, recalling the incident took place before Sept 16, 2008.

The Beluran parliamentarian further stated that a man approached Anifah and him when they were in Macau to offer them to cross over.

"When we were relaxing one evening, a tall guy approached our table and started to talk to Anifah ( right )," he said.

Ronald, who didn't hear the conversation, said an upset Anifah told them that the guy tried to buy him over.

Ronald, however, didn't lodge a report over the incident as he felt Anifah should have done this himself.

Anwar a 'megalomaniac'

Meanwhile, former PKR Bayan Baru MP Zahrain Mohamed Hashim claimed Anwar was a “megalomaniac”.

 

"I believe he was only concerned with his personal agenda which is to take over Putrajaya 'at all costs', to quote his own words. He deems himself as prime minister in waiting," he said in written testimony.

He cited that the opposition leader "forced" his wife Wan Azizah Wan Ismail to quit as Permatang Pauh MP and had the party members to call him "PM in waiting", as proof of Anwar’s megalomaniacal tendencies.

"He stated that he had secured at least 32 MPs which was required for PKR to form new federal government. 

"He mentioned that there would be three DPM's and one would be from Sabah and Sarawak, " Zahrain added.

Anwar didn't stop despite his plot to overthrow BN had failed, he told the court.

"Well, he said the number (32 MPs) was there, it was just a matter of time," said the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Malaysia to Indonesia.