KUCHING: An attempt by Pakatan Rakyat to topple the Barisan Nasional government on Sept 16 is likened to a ‘political robbery’.

Deputy Minister of Energy, Water and Telecommunications Datuk Joseph Salang said yesterday the (BN) coalition, as winners of the March general election, must be allowed to govern and serve the people.

“In democracy, there are winners and losers. The winners take the responsibility of governing everybody – winners and losers alike – while the losers have to convince the voters of their ability to come up with better policies through their constructive criticism.

“There is no place for political robbery here. The winners must be allowed to serve their term,” he said when contacted here yesterday.

Salang, who is also Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) information chief and Julau MP, was commenting on the repeated claims by Opposition leader and Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PRK) de facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim that PR would form the next government by getting several BN parliamentarians to join them.

To a question, Salang confirmed that he had signed a pledge of loyalty to the BN top leadership. “I signed it sometime last week.”

Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Agro-Based Industry Datuk Rohani Karim meanwhile defended the pledge of loyalty as an appropriate action to affirm the MPs’ support of BN.

The Batang Lupar MP also confirmed that she had signed the pledge although it is not a directive from Abdullah or the BN.

“The pledge of loyalty is most appropriate in the current political situation. And when I was asked to sign, I immediately put down my signature,” said Rohani, who is also assistant secretary general and women vice chief of Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB).

She commended Minister of Unity, Culture, Arts and Heritage and Umno supreme council member Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal for initiating the pledge.

“Datuk Seri Shafie did not like the constant claims made by Anwar and his group that BN MPs from Sabah and Sarawak would cross over, although we, as BN loyal supporters, have no intention of doing so.

“What he (Shafie) did is the right thing to do to counter the opposition’s claims. This also shows that BN MPs have principle and dignity, and will not allow Anwar to influence them,” she said.

Parliament deputy speaker Datuk Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar on Thursday had said the pledge was not a directive from Abdullah, BN or Umno secretariat like what many thought it was.

“Pak Lah probably does not know it exists,” he insisted.

When told that PR had poked fun at the ‘pledge of loyalty’, Junaidi said the circular, which had no legal bearing, was a normal thing.

He said pledge of loyalty to the prime minister was normal because it had been done before although such act had manifested in many forms as far as the BN was concerned but no one had made it into an issue.

He added that this time around, the pledge of loyalty had became an issue because of the timing in regards to PR’s claim of a massive crossover of BN MPs to PR to enable it to form a government.

Shafie, in earlier press reports, said even though many of the Sabah MPs did not sign the letter, it did not mean that they were disloyal to BN.

Kimanis MP Datuk Anifah Aman, Kalabakan MP Datuk Abdul Ghapur Salleh, Sepanggar MP Datul Eric Majimbun and Tawau MP Datuk Dr Chua Soon Bui are among those who have not signed the pledge.

Anifah had said that the pledge of loyalty should be extended to all MPs nationwide, and not just limited to those in Sabah and Sarawak.

Ghapur, on the other hand, said the pledge of loyalty gave the impression that Sabah MPs could not to be trusted.