By FMT staff
KUALA LUMPUR: The government has given Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim a week to substantiate his allegation that Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak's administration had hired a public relations firm responsible for the 'One Israel' campaign to work on the '1Malaysia' concept.
The US-based firm, Apco Worldwide, has since denied having any links with the 'One Israel' campaign.
In Parliament today, Barisan Nasional's Kota Belud MP Abdul Rahman Dahlan accused Anwar of misleading the House, citing Standing Orders 36 (12) and 37(1).
He also said that the government has denied hiring Apco.
“If we do not put an end to this, the opposition would continue to raise the issue during their ceramah,” he said.
Responding, Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Mohd Nazri Abdul Aziz informed Deputy Speaker Ronald Kiandee that Anwar has been given a week to provide evidence.
Failing which, he said the government would move a motion to refer the opposition leader to the Rights and Privileges Committee.
He also stressed that the government viewed the allegation seriously. “Therefore I support the motion to refer him to the Rights and Privileges Committee,” he added.
Last week, Anwar created a stir in Parliament when he claimed that Apco was the brains behind former Israeli premier Ehud Barak's 'One Israel' campaign.
Chaos in the House
Earlier, DAP leader Lim Kit Siang voiced a strong objection, arguing that Abdul Rahman had no merit to raise the standing order.
Pandemonium erupted when opposition MPs and their Barisan Nasional counterparts locked horns over the issue.
When Lim asked on what grounds Abdul Rahman was allowed to table the motion, BN MPs retorted by calling him a 'coward' and telling him to sit down.
Following this, the opposition MPs accused the House of double standards on the issue of raising standing orders.
“The whole thing looks like an orchestrated plot involving the BN backbenchers, the minister and the deputy speaker to refer him (Anwar) to the privileges committee,” PKR's Lembah Pantai MP Nurul Izzah Anwar told FMT.
She added that the one-week deadline will be used by the BN to gain maximum political exposure to discredit Anwar and the opposition.
“However what they fail to realise is that it will only focus the attention on the money spent for Apco's services...the use of the government funding by Umno to improve its image,” she added.
The deputy speaker also shot down attempts by the opposition MPs to raise the same standing order with regards to the government's 'lie' that Apco has not been hired for the 1Malaysia campaign.
Also read:
Anwar: Umno must explain Apco's role
Anwar may face action over allegation
