Nibong Tebal MP Tan Tee Beng today formally announced his resignation from PKR and is now an Independent.

However, he refused to confirm if he will be an ally to Barisan Nasional.

But he appealed to the federal government to release federal development allocations for his constituency, so that he can do his job in serving the people.

Asked how he would respond if BN expects his support in Parliament in return for the federal allocations, Tan said "these are two very different things which should not be linked".

NONE The announcement was made at a press conference in Ampang, Selangor. Tan was accompanied former PKR secretary-general Salehuddin Hashim, who recently resigned from the party.

Tan said he resigned because Pakatan Rakyat had not addressed his complaints, but had turned a blind eye when he was criticised by DAP leaders, especially Penang deputy chief minister II P Ramasamy and Jelutong MP Jeff Ooi.

"There is no longer any avenue to voice our grievances. In fact, I have been told not to openly criticise the party leaders. This is not what PKR used to stand for - accountability and justice," he said.

"Party leaders are apparently untouchable. They are willing to turn a blind eye to internal problems in their bid to achieve their political objectives.

"The personal attacks on me are an attempt to divert attention from the real problems in Penang, which is (chief minister) Lim Guan Eng's problematic leadership. He wants to turn the Penang government into his family business."

Tan also had a parting shot for PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim, accusing him of ignoring party problems.

"I thank Anwar and (party president Dr) Wan Azizah (Ismail), for giving me opportunities and treating me well, but I fail to see Anwar acting to rectify the situation. Instead, Anwar is obsessed with taking Putrajaya," he said.

He further revealed that he has instructed his lawyers to initiate legal action against Lim, Ooi and Ramasamy over their allegations that he had tampered with an open tender offer.

Tan insisted that he is innocent and honest while asserting his willingness to be investigated by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission office.

He challenge the DAP trio to follow suit and said their refusal was “cowardly.”

'No response to letter'

In another development, Kulim Bandar Bharu MP Zulkifli Noordin, when contacted, denied news reports that he would announce his resignation today.

Both Tan and Zulkifli were scheduled to be hauled up by the PKR disciplinary board this month, among others, for attacking Pakatan leaders.

NONE Zulkifli ( right ) told Malaysiakini that he will not attend the scheduled hearing this afternoon because the party has yet to reply his Feb 16 letter, which contained several complaints about the proceedings.

"Until today, they have yet to reply. So how can I attend the hearing?" he asked during a brief telephone interview this morning. 

However, at 3pm, Zulkifli was seen entering the PKR headquarters catching reporters by surprise. He did not speak to the press.

Earlier, Zulkifli replied with a flat "No way! No way!" when asked if he was intending to quit PKR and join Umno, as speculated by Star Online this morning. 

"Not Umno. I'm joining DAP. I want to be the secretary-general of DAP ( laughs )," he quipped.

He adds that he would not let off the "little pharaohs", a term he has coined to hit back at his detractors in PKR. 

Tan and Zulkifli had been rumoured to be among several disgruntled PKR MPs who are keen on following the footsteps of Bayan Baru MP Zahrain Hashim.

Zahrain left the party after citing loss of confidence in Lim's leadership as chief minister. He also claims that the DAP-led government is sidelining PKR.

Incidently, Zahrain was also accompanied by Salehuddin during his press conference to announce his resignation from the PKR on Feb 12.