Opposition should not accept political defectors

Anti-hopping law timely

Since PKR de facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim announced that his party welcomed any Barisan assemblyman or Members of Parliament (MP) wishing to cross over, there has been considerable interest on this issue of defection of MPs and assemblymen from their parties.MPs and assemblymen crossing over to new parties, although unhealthy, is nothing new in Malaysia politics. It has been practiced before, by the previous BN government, and as been accepted as normal. Very often the ruling party gains from these defections and we rarely see MPs crossing over from the ruling party to the opposition for obvious reasons.

The Barisan Nasional (BN), in particular Umno, appears to be deeply troubled by the talk of their MPs crossing over to the opposition. This has prompted its newly appointed Secretary General, Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor,to order a probe into these claims of defections. Umno Youth chief Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein describes this act of defection as shameful and the Prime Minister himself calls it morally wrong.

You call party-hopping whatever you want, cheating, disloyal, betrayal, treacherous or immoral, but it has been a normal practice employed by those in power to continue remaining so.

In Malaysia MPs and state assemblymen are elected based mainly on the party to which they belong and less so on their individual qualities and merits. Crossing over to another party after being elected under one is definitely not right and is morally wrong. It amounts to betraying the voters who have elected them? It only goes to show a lack of integrity and credibility on the part of the defector. Of greater wrong is buying-over of defectors from other parties. Such money politics is an act of corruption that must be condemned

To protect the electorate from unscrupulous party-hoppers, it is timely to introduce laws to declare a seat vacant and call fresh elections once its MP or state assemblyman crosses over to another political party. This would not only help check defections but also put pressure on the party leadership to be more stringent in the selection of their candidates for the election. It will ensure that only those with a deep sense of loyalty, integrity and credibility would be selected thereby the people would be the ultimate gainers from such an anti-hopping legislation.

MPs and state assemblymen are lawmakers who represent the people’s interests in the highest legislative body, Parliament. Their deliberations and debate on policies to be formulated will decide the present and shape future of nation and its citizens. It is therefore of paramount importance that only those with high integrity and credibility are selected to be parliamentarians. The interests of the voters supercede the personal rights and freedom of the elected representatives.

Crossing over of lawmakers to other political parties and buying-over of such legislators after being elected are not only morally wrong but is a form of corruption that we should not condone for any reason whatsoever. How can we entrust the nation to these party-hoppers who so easily succumb to such temptations for their own interests.

The people have boldly transcended racial divide to give the Opposition the unprecedented victory in the recent elections. They should treasure this unity among the people and quickly start working to fulfill their pledges. The main reason for their success is the multi-racial platform they adopted, pledging to dismantle racial politics that is threatening to tear the nation apart. They must be very selective in allowing those from other parties to be admitted to their fold. Only those who genuinely treasure the multi-racial approach and share the ideology of the opposition coalition should be allowed in not any defector from opponent parties, whose motives are questionable.

The Opposition may not have the mandate to form the government this time but they have succeeded in denying the ruling party a 2/3 majority which is already a great acheivement.They should strive to win over the people by their commitment to serve them better that the previous government. If they can do that there is no reason why they should not succeed in obtaining enough support to form the government the next time around.

Being obsessed with gaining power through the backdoor by buying over elected representatives from other parties will only erode the trust and confidence of the of the people in the Opposition coalition, which is already under severe stress in forming the state governments. They detested such practices by the previous government before and it would be foolish of them to resort to that now when they are in a position of advantage. There are no short cuts to winning the hearts of the people other than hard work, dedication and sincerity.

Dr.Chris Anthony