Concerns over Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak's visit to China last week are over national sovereignty and the economy of the country, not on votes, Pakatan Harapan MPs say.

They said the visit, which saw Najib sign 14 agreements worth RM144 billion with the republic, is not likely to sway fence-sitters, as claimed by Communications and Multimedia Minister Salleh Said Keruak.

"My fear is about Najib signing hundreds of billions of ringgit worth of agreements and contracts will curtail our sovereignty because we will be in debt to Chinese government for the next 50 years.

"I doubt Chinese voters will swing to Najib. If anything they will hate Najib more, but the spectre of the country incurring another RM150 billion in debt (for the East Coast Railway Link project) is really scary," PKR's Pandan MP Rafizi Ramli told Malaysiakini.

Concurring, DAP's Kluang MP Liew Chin Tong (photo) pointed out that about half-a-century has passed since the visit of Najib's father, second prime minister Abdul Razak Hussein, had gained dividends for BN.

"For those in BN who think Najib's China visit will swing Chinese votes to BN's fold, like Razak's visit did in 1974, I can only say they are probably dreaming and still live in 1974," Liew said.

Amanah's Kuala Krai MP Dr Hatta Ramli said Salleh was only exposing Najib's motives for visiting China by claiming that it has impact on fence-sitters.

"We are not picking on that; we are talking about the economic effects, the cost of the projects and so on.

"For Salleh to bring up this issue indicates that the idea of Najib going there is to create fear among the opposition that they are going to lose the non-Malays and so on," Hatta said.

Salleh on his blog on Sunday said the opposition is also trying to distract from the successes of Najib's China visit, by inviting former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad to Parliament for a meeting on parliamentary immunity, scheduled today.

Salleh's claim is laughable

Meanwhile, Amanah's Shah Alam MP Khalid Samad described Salleh's claim as laughable.

"Wow! You mean Mahathir is so great that he can overshadow a RM55 billion investment (in the East Coast Rail Link)?" Khalid asked.

Liew stressed that the meeting organised by veteran DAP lawmaker Lim Kit Siang is to discuss the rights of MPs after three MPs have been called up by police for allegedly breaching secrecy oaths they took when they were cabinet ministers, in their Dewan Rakyat speeches on 1MDB.

They are former finance minister II and BN's Tambun MP Ahmad Husni Hanadzlah, former deputy prime minister and Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia's Pagoh MP Muhyiddin Yassin and former rural and regional development minister and Parti Warisan Sabah's Semporna MP Mohd Shafie Apdal.

Muhyiddin was sacked from Umno for his vocal criticism of 1MDB and Najib, while Shafie left the party after he was suspended for the same reason.

The meeting will be attended by all three former ministers, while invitations were also extended to Dewan Rakyat speaker Pandikar Amin Mulia, all MPs as well as to former MPs and ministers.