Keadilan's Indera Kayangan by-election co-director Mej (Rtd) Mohd Shariff Abd Razak who defected to Umno last Friday, had been sacked earlier for trying to 'sabotage' the nomination of the party's candidate.

Keadilan campaign director Azmin Ali said today Shariff was responsible for 'messing up' the nomination forms of Khoo Yang Chong, Keadilan's candidate for the hotly contested by-election on Saturday.

"We were fast enough to thwart the attempt and sacked Shariff from his post," said Azmin.

Party insiders say incorrect information were intentionally entered on Khoo's nomination form which could have resulted in his disqualification. However, this was discovered before nomination day last Thursday.

"His defection to Umno is not a surprise as we had got wind of it from the beginning," said Azmin further.

He said he understood Shariff's situation as he (Shariff) would be "perpetually haunted and threatened by BN until he caves in to their offers and promises".

On Friday, Shariff (pic), together with eight other Perlis Keadilan leaders, joined Umno saying he was disappointed with Keadilan's struggle.

In the run-up to the Indera Kayangan by-election to date, some 360 Keadilan members are believed to have defected to Umno. The latest group of 300 members were led by the party's Perlis Youth deputy chief Syed Araniri Syed Ahmad on Saturday.

Keadilan leaders are said to be expecting 'one or two' more leaders to party hop.

'Money politics'

Azmin claimed the defection of members to rival party Umno was merely the result of a series of 'ancient campaign tactics' employed by the ruling party to entice voters.

He said BN would 'play money politics, distribute rice and pay youths to wear T-shirts of Osama bin Laden to frighten Chinese voters' in order to obtain victory on Jan 19, polling day.

"Increasing support from all communities for the Keadilan candidate has forced the BN to 'buy' voters," said Azmin, who is also one of the party's three vice-presidents.

MCA's retired Chinese school headmistress Oui Ah Lan will meet Keadilan's Khoo, a retired schoolteacher, in the by-election's straight fight.

The seat fell vacant last month following the death of the BN state assemblyman Khor Liang Tee.