Bung Moktar regrets accusation of being involved in plot to topple government

Kinabatangan Member of Parliament Datuk Bung Moktar Radin has expressed regret over the accusation that he was one of the UMNO leaders allegedly plotting to topple the government.

He said he was not even aware that there was such a plot until it was exposed by Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.

"For me, this is a very serious accusation and very much regretted. I have never been a traitor or a betrayer to the party that I fought for," he said in a statement here today.

Ahmad Zahid, when opening the UMNO Ampang delegates meeting in Kuala Lumpur last Saturday, exposed a plot by the opposition to topple the Malaysian government, with an UMNO-cum-Barisan Nasional (BN) leaders allegedly behind it.

He said the plan was to obtain statutory declarations from the opposition members of Parliament (MPs) and to pull in the support of BN lawmakers in toppling the government through the "back door".

Bung Moktar, who is also UMNO Supreme Council member, said he was always vocal in expressing his views, but he had never compromised his dignity just because he disagreed with any of the party leaders.

He said UMNO's cause was clean and sincere, and thus should continue to be fought.

In fact, he said if there was any attempts to topple the BN government in the Dewan Rakyat, he would be the first to stand against it.

"For me, this government is chosen by the people. If it were to be toppled, let it be done through general election and not through some street demonstrations or disgraceful methods," he added.