KOTA KINABALU, July 22 — Kapayan assemblyman Jannie Lasimbang alleged two men, allegedly “agents” representing the Sabah Opposition, tried to solicit her defection with offers of cash and a state minister position.
Lasimbang said that the men also visited her sister, Moyog assemblyman Jenifer Lasimbang, at the latter’s office and the incident was captured on the site’s closed-circuit television (CCTV) surveillance system.
“Yes, the same agents. I didn’t even let them finish what they have to say after they introduced themselves as agents of (a politician’s son), I immediately said I was not interested. I was offended they came to my house with such a proposition. I cursed them and their evil intentions.
“DAP assemblymen and MPs are doing a press conference later at the DAP headquarters to talk about it,” she said when contacted.
Lasimbang said that she believed the two men claiming to represent the son of a prominent Sabah politician were tasked with getting government-aligned elected representatives to defect.
The incident came after rumours emerged that a possible collapse of the Parti Warisan Sabah president Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal’s state administration was being engineered through defections.
Shafie’s party leads the administration with the support of Pakatan Harapan and Upko lawmakers.
Yesterday, The Star reported that former Sabah chief minister Tan Sri Musa Aman and other Perikatan Nasional leaders were renewing the campaign after recent attempts failed.
The report purported that they had either “secured” or were “close to” securing a simple majority in the 65-seat state assembly.
Perikatan Nasional in Sabah — consisting of Sabah Umno, Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu), Sabah STAR, Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) and three independent assemblymen — will need about 15 defections to claim a simple majority.
