Former Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) founding member Kamarulzaman Habibur Rahman has lodged a police report against Bersatu Youth chief Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman for alleged defamation.

Speaking to reporters outside the Dang Wangi district police station this afternoon, Kamarulzaman said Syed Saddiq cited his name on Monday as having allegedly received "dedak" (animal feed, or rewards) to leave Bersatu.

The term “dedak” often refers to securing support through the dispensing of rewards, financial or otherwise.

"This is a malicious allegation that defames my reputation as an educator, an officer with the district education department," said Kamarulzaman, who added that he is giving Syed Saddiq seven days to retract his statement or face legal action.

He further urged Syed Saddiq to lodge a report with the MACC on the alleged bribe, in order to allow authorities to investigate the matter.

At the same time, Kamarulzaman also denied being contacted by any party with an offer to leave Bersatu, as alleged by Syed Saddiq.

"I was never contacted by anybody to leave the party. Not even once," he stressed.

At a press conference on Monday, Syed Saddiq alleged a conspiracy to weaken Bersatu by "threatening and bribing" its founding members, including himself, Kamarulzaman and former vice-president Hamidah Othman.

He also claimed that the alleged bribe offer, which included RM5 million in cash, was linked to an individual within the Prime Minister’s Department.

Commenting further, Kamarulzaman said it was "ridiculous" to think that any individual linked to the government would offer him or other former Bersatu leaders such a large amount of money, given how they had campaigned against Umno in the past.

"That (claim) is ridiculous. We can use our good judgement on whether it is reality or slander," he said.

Kamarulzaman also said that Bersatu leaders should seek to resolve their own internal disputes rather than accuse others of attempting to weaken the party.