“They said if I win the contest, I could rejoin the party and I would be given the Deputy Chief Minister 1 post.”
INDEPENDENT candidate Aminah Abdullah, on part of the alleged bribe offered to her on 13 May 2009 by Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) supreme council member Cheah Kah Peng and Lim Eng Nam, who is special assistant to PKR’s Penang exco Law Choo Kiang.
She claimed that apart from being promised the DCM1 post, she was also offered the position of president of a local council and reimbursement of her campaign expenses, which came up to more than RM80,000.
Aminah, the former Penang PKR Wanita chief who quit the party in 2007, produced an audio CD recording as “proof”. She admitted that the recording was made without Cheah and Lim’s knowledge. (Source: “I was offered money, posts to withdraw”, The Nut Graph, 25 May 2009)
“I had provided the facts to the party president (Datin Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail) and adviser (Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim), but no action was taken … There was hardly any follow up. In fact, the Penang leadership went on to slander me with 11 baseless accusations.”
Aminah again, on why she made the hidden recording and exposed it to the media, when she could have sorted the matter out while she was still in PKR. By “Penang leadership”, Aminah was referring specifically to Penang PKR chief Datuk Zahrain Mohamed Hashim.
At another press conference, Aminah threatened to reveal a “scandal” involving Zahrain and her at a hotel in Nibong Tebal between 2006 and 2007. She later revealed that the “scandal” was that Zahrain had publicly humiliated her in a party meeting involving the grassroots women’s divisions. (Source: Aminah: PKR never took action, The Nut Graph, 27 May 2009)
After losing the Penanti by-election, she told reporters that she had more “big surprises” in store, and would reveal them if she was “pushed to the limit” again.
“The leader called me on 27 [March] and told me that he wanted to see me … We met at the Starbucks cafe in the Village Mall at 11pm. He told me to withdraw from the contest and offered me RM50,000 initially.”
Former PKR grassroots leader A Jayagopala, alleging that PKR also tried to bribe him during the Bukit Selambau by-election in April 2009, in which he contested, and lost, as an independent candidate. He revealed this to reporters after speaking in support of Aminah at one of her ceramah during the Penanti by-election. He said the RM50,000 offer was subsequently raised to RM100,000, and then to RM150,000. He also said he would lodge a police report on the matter in support of Aminah. (Source: Ex-PKR leader: I was offered money too, The Star, 31 May 2009)
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“The first time was on 28 Feb, and then two days before nomination day[,] and the last time was 5am today at Sungai Lalang. The same person also contacted me twice on the telephone, but the discussion did not involve money.”
Jayagopala, on details of the alleged bribe offered to him by a PKR leader whom he declined to name. This particular allegation was made during the Bukit Selambau by-election campaigning period. PKR, however, clarified that Jayagopala was actually suspended from the party in 2004, and was subsequently sacked for contesting against its eventually triumphant candidate, S Manikumar. (Source: Calon bebas dakwa dipujuk tarik diri, Malaysiakini, 1 April 2009)
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“At one time the Reformasi movement dubbed (former Prime Minister Tun Dr) Mahathir (Mohamad) the ‘firaun’ (pharaoh), but now we can see that (PKR adviser Datuk Seri) Anwar (Ibrahim) is also a pharaoh and a dictator.”
Another former PKR leader, B Kalaivanar, on why he quit the party, right in the middle of the Bukit Selambau by-election. Kalaivanar was the Jerai PKR chief and claimed that the entire division had also lost confidence in the party.
As “proof” that PKR was undemocratic, he gave the example of how the party did not have elections to determine its state chiefs, and also claimed that PKR leaders were involved in cronyism and corruption. However, he refused to reveal details. (Source: Jerai PKR chief quits, The Nut Graph, 30 Mar 2009) 
