Wife-to-wife lobbying is a political reality in Malaysia
A Malaysian MP says he was approached to be a minister in the new PM’s cabinet.
The MP was a Minister in the government of Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad. Mahathir’s government collapsed after he resigned last week.
The Shal Alam Member of Parliament Khalid Samad says the 8th PM of Malaysia Muhyiddin Yassin contacted him to offer him the post.
In a video circulating in WhatsApp groups, Samad says Muhyiddin is making such offers to other PH members.
He also says the political lobbying has now entered a different level.
LOBBYING THROUGH WIVES?
https://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});The MP who was Federal Territory Minister says the government is also lobbying former Ministers through their wives.
Khalid says no PH leader has accepted the offer until the new government adopted a cunning tactic to urge their wives to appeal to them.
“They lobby through your wife, try to persuade and persuade your husband (to join Cabinet Muhyiddin), accept the position,” says Samad.
“Not able to find people with integrity and cleanliness, he wants to offer us a job,” says Samad of the current PM.
Malaysian women seem to be quite influential in local politics. The country had the most glamourous first lady in Rosmah Mansor, the wife of ex-PM Najib Razak.
Malaysia also had until recently, the first woman deputy PM. Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail was also the Women’s Affairs minister.
ANWAR OFFERED PM POST
https://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});On the other hand, Anwar Ibrahim, who failed to gain the prime ministerial post after Dr Mahathir rash decision to quit, says he too was offered a post by the Umno.
The party now in power had offered Anwar to become the PM if he accepts the party en bloc.
But Anwar rejected the offer. The offer was made last week during the political crisis.
Samad says he received a message from the Prime Minister via his mobile phone urging him to join the cabinet.
Samad’s reply to the PM was the latter had betrayed the Pakatan Harapan government and caused its collapse. Thus he cannot join him in a new government.
“Now he is betraying the Barisan National,” says Samad of the PM.
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