In a twist of events, taxi driver Shanti Subramaniam has confirmed that she was tricked into attending a BN “conversion” reception to announce the so-called defection of DAP supporters into BN supporters. During the 27 May event, UMNO information chief Datuk Ahmad Maslan had claimed that 150 members were switching sides from DAP to BN.

Following BN claims and the much publicised DAP to BN defections in Teluk Intan, Shanti, one of the event attendees, has come out to explain that she was forced against her will to appear as a new BN supporter.

Shanti told a press conference yesterday that she was pressured into putting on a BN t-shirt by the group there. According to her, a woman and some Malay men in the camp had told her to cut a DAP card, which she refused. Later,  she was asked to tear up a DAP flag, which she also refused.

Video coverage of the event shows Shanti wearing a BN t-shirt as Ahmad Maslan announced that she had chosen BN and left DAP.

“We are very happy because we have friends who used to support DAP, now support BN tonight,” he said.

The video later shows reporters interviewing Shanti, where she tells them that she is still a DAP supporter and does not know of the nature of the BN event. Men dressed in Barisan Nasional shirts then approach her to inform her in Tamil to end the interview session with the press.

“BN hijacked the event,” says NGO organiser

It later emerged that the event was organised by a taxi-drivers’ welfare NGO.

At the press conference held by Batu Gajah MP Sivakumar yesterday, event organizer and Deputy Chair of the Teluk Intan taxi driver association, Yusof Abdul Manaf expressing frustration that his NGO based event initially meant for taxi-drivers was hijacked by Barisan Nasional.

According to Yusof, the taxi driver NGO was supposed to hold the event for the taxi drivers there, but was taken over by BN leaders. Some of the BN leaders who had attended the event included Ahmad Maslan and MIC Wanita chief Mohana Muniandy.

However, today, Ahmad Maslan has blamed MIC for the staging of the event, saying,

“The event was arranged by MIC and they will have all the relevant information. They know the real story.” -The Rocket