KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 3 — An Umno lawmaker accused today Bersih 2.0 chief Maria Chin Abdullah of betraying the country over the funds her organisation received from US billionaire George Soros.

Kuala Selangor MP Datuk Seri Dr Irmohizam Ibrahim claimed that the polls reform group had a "foreign agenda” and accused it of sacrificing the country by being a lackey of foreigners just to topple the government.

"I hope that the people will not swallow the lies by traitors of the country like this Maria Chin Abdullah,” Irmohizam said in a statement.

Soros’ Open Society Foundations (OSF) issued a statement yesterday insisting that the money it provides to Malaysian civil society is to "support democratic practice”, among others, and not to remove the current government. It also said it’s not currently funding Bersih 2.0 even though it had given the electoral watchdog "small grants” in 2012.

The attacks by Umno leaders against Bersih 2.0 come ahead of the Bersih 5 protest scheduled on November 19.