TG Nik Aziz - Unethical to speak ill of their former colleagues......

PAS spiritual advisor Nik Aziz Nik Mat said it is not ethical for politicians to publicly speak ill of their former colleagues or bosses after they have left their parties. He said any dispute with leaders are best resolved within the party itself, according to the procedures available, such as via the party's general assembly.

"Exposing the defects of their previous leaders in public is an immoral act and even uncivilised," he told reporters here after speaking at a ceramah at Dataran Ilmu here Friday.He was commenting on the disclosures by Bayan Baru MP Zahrain Mohamed Hashim of the botched plan by Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim to take over the Federal Government by allegedly enticing Barisan Nasional parliamentarians to cross over to the Pakatan Rakyat coalition.

Zahrain had alleged that Anwar had "made use of, manipulated and had told that enough Barisan MPs wanted to cross over to Pakatan."

He had also claimed that Anwar informed Pakatan MPs that even the armed forces chief at that time supported the plan of the takeover, which purportedly would happen on Sept 16, 2008. Zahrain named eight MPs from the ruling party who were supposedly on the list of defectors, including:

Abdul Ghapur Salleh (Kalabakan), Anifah Aman (Kimanis), Bung Mokhtar Radin (Kinabatangan), Dr Mohd Puad Zarkashi (Batu Pahat), Tengku Azlan Sultan Abu Bakar (Jerantut) and Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah (Gua Musang). Two of others - Sabah Progressive Party reps Enchin Majmbun (Sepanggar) and Chua Soon Bui (Tawau) - have since left the Barisan. Zahrain said a deputy Speaker was also on the list but he declined to name him.

Nik Aziz, who is Kelantan Mentri Besar, said Malay politics had become demeaning and this is being watched by the non-Malays. He said they could learn a lesson from the MCA, which pick and drop leaders through internal elections.

"Any party member dissatisfied with a leader could use such internal channels rather than expose his (the leader's) shorcomings in public.

"The approach is not right but there is always an opportunity for errant parties to return to the right track and repent for their wrongdoings."

source:malaysian mirror

Meanwhile, Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah dismissed as a tall tale a claim that he was among eight BN MPs set to cross over to enable the opposition form the federal government in 2008.

"I do not want to comment on it. I have been with Umno for 48 years. The claim is a tall tale," he told reporters. Tengku Razaleigh said that if indeed the claim was true, he would now be holding a senior position in the opposition Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR).

"I'm not for sale and not available. If the claim is true, I would have been a leader in PKR," he said.

cheers.