18 February, 2010 06:57

Don’t be hypocrites, MP tells his critics PETALING JAYA: Datuk Seri Zahrain Mohd Hashim has slammed critics who are demanding that he vacate the Bayan Baru parliamentary seat just because he is no longer a PKR member. Calling them hypocrites who practise double standard, Zahrain asked why similar demands were not made against Bota assemblyman Datuk Nasaruddin Hashim, who quit Umno to join PKR last year. “Pakatan Rakyat supporters welcomed Nasaruddin with open arms. They did not ask him to vacate the seat and seek a fresh mandate from voters. “But when Pakatan Rakyat-elected representatives announce that they are quitting their party, we hear immediate demands for them to vacate their seats,” he said. He added that there were no objections when Pakatan Rakyat said it would attempt to take over the Federal Government by Sept 16, 2008 by wooing 32 Barisan Nasional MPs to cross over. “Such hypocrisy!” said Zahrain, who quit PKR and declared himself an independent MP on Friday. Zahrain said he had no intention of quitting his seat because he could still serve his constituents as an independent MP. “However, I will quit as MP if Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng steps down. That is my only condition,” he said. Among those who have called on Zahrain to quit are PAS spiritual leader Datuk Seri Nik Aziz Nik Mat, Bayan Baru PKR deputy chairman Tan Seng Keat, and Bayan Baru PAS Youth chief Dzul Fahmi Abu Bakar. “I do not want to argue with Tok Guru (Nik Aziz). But I am pleading with him to understand that our action is against certain DAP leaders. “The DAP’s impact is probably not felt in Kelantan, but it affects Pakatan Rakyat in Selangor, Penang and Kedah,” said Zahrain. Zahrain, who left PKR about two weeks after calling Lim a dictator, chauvinist and communist-minded leader, said the Chief Minister and DAP secretary-general had failed Penangites. He said he would soon initiate legal action against Lim, the media and other DAP leaders who had implied that he was linked to a RM2 company that was bidding for a maintenance project. Zahrain announced that he would also resign as Island Golf Properties Bhd (IGP) board chairman as a matter of principle since he was no longer a PKR member. “I will submit the resignation letter after the Chinese New Year holidays,’’ he said. The Star Wednesday, 17 February 2010 http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2010/2/17/nation/5686613&sec=nation