PUTRAJAYA: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has called on Opposition leader Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin to provide evidence that Kuala Kangsar MP Datuk Iskandar Dzulkarnain Abdul Khalid was pressured into declaring his support for him. Anwar emphasized that he had not contacted or met Iskandar Dzulkarnain to negotiate his support, nor had he sent a representative to do so.
“If Hamzah has any evidence, he should present it as a case. As far as I know, I have not met or contacted him, or sent anyone to exert any kind of pressure. If you have evidence, prove it rather than making baseless statements,” said Anwar during a press conference after attending a program at the Putrajaya International Convention Centre on Wednesday (Oct 18).
The Prime Minister deemed these allegations to be grave and urged Hamzah to file a report with the appropriate authorities.
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On Tuesday (Sept 17), Iskandar Dzulkarnain asserted that he had chosen to support the Prime Minister in order to secure funds for his constituents and not because he was coerced into doing so. He also dismissed allegations that he had been threatened with corruption charges.
In response to Iskandar Dzulkarnain’s recent announcement of support for Anwar, Perikatan National claimed that the MP had been coerced by the government to support Anwar’s leadership.
ALSO READ: Kuala Kangsar MP says no pressure involved, supporting PM to ensure funds for constituency
Hamzah, who serves as Perikatan secretary-general, alleged that Iskandar Dzulkarnain was taken to meet a high-ranking officer of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) on October 1 and was threatened with corruption charges if he refused to sign a statement affirming his support for the government. During a recent meeting with Perikatan chairman Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, Iskandar Dzulkarnain reportedly appeared visibly distressed due to the alleged intimidation tactics being employed against him.
