Written by Stan Lee, Politics Now!
KUALA LUMPUR (Politics Now!) - DAP's Anthony Loke is the next in Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim's government to rush to 'bury' Bersatu president Muhyiddin Yassin and deflect blame from Anwar's 'Madani' government for sanctioning and accepting the unprincipled backdoor defections of four Bersatu MPs.
But was Muhyiddin really wrong to object to the proposed clause in the Anti-Hopping Law, which if not struck off, would require MPs sacked by their parties to vacate their seats and pave way for fresh by-elections.
WHOSE DOING? BERSATU OR ANWAR & GANG OF 4?
"Actually not at all. Muhyiddin was not wrong to insist it was unfair to make an MP give up his seat just because his party sacked him or he refused to toe his party line," a political analyst told Politics Now!
"What if it was the party that was being unscrupulous and the MP objected or was sacked because he took a principled stand - how can that be fair?
"The issue is, who and what is being unscrupulous - and then who gets to decide if this is so. Like the 4 Bersatu MPs, they are switching to get federal funds that should have been allocated to them in the first place and they have also said so - that they remain loyal to Bersatu.
"So this means, it's not Bersatu's doing but perhaps the MPs' own greed or need of money and the lack of principled stand by Anwar in taking advantage of the loophole. But many people don't understand, they just write it off as a Muhyiddin or Bersatu 'own goal'."
Indeed Anthony told reporters at a press conference that Muhyiddin had cited his own sacking from Umno by disgraced ex-premier Najib Razak for going against the party over the 1MDB corruption and thievery scandal.
OWN GOAL? BUT MUHYIDDIN WAS NOT WRONG TO RESIST CLAUSE
Muhyiddin (left), Anthony Loke
At that time, Muhyiddin was hailed as a hero by many in the country including Anwar's Pakatan Rakyat coalition, especially the DAP for standing up to kleptocracy.
"Muhyiddin cited how he was sacked from Umno for going against the party and 1MDB." Malaysiakini reported Anthony as saying today (Nov 14).
"In this case, he said if he was sacked from the party and had to vacate his seat, it would not have been fair to him."
Anthony also revealed how Bersatu secretary-general Hamzah Zainudin had conveyed the message from Muhyiddin during deliberations when drafting the anti-hopping law in 2022.
BECOME A 'DICTATOR' PARTY OR LOSE YOUR MPs
Clockwise from top left: Jeli MP Zahari Kechik, Iskandar Dzulkarnain Abdul Khalid (Kuala Kangsar), Mohd Azizi Abu Naim (Gua Musang) and Suhaili Abdul Rahman (Labuan)
The DAP secretary-general even advised Muhyiddin to "close the loophole" by amending the Bersatu constitution so that an MP who goes against the party is considered to have "resigned" - thereby triggering the anti-hopping law.
"So if those four (Bersatu MPs) were from DAP, they would have lost their seats, and there would be by-elections. It is as simple as that," said Anthony.
It has been reported that Umno and Amanah have also made similar amendments to their party constitutions.
NO CHOICE BUT TO FOLLOW OR THERE'LL BE MORE 'EXODUS'
But whether Bersatu will follow remains to be seen.
Analysts believe it may have no choice, so as to halt an exodus of its MPs into backing Anwar in exchange for funding
"If Bersatu does so, then it becomes a 'dictator' party like DAP. Toe the line no matter what it is, or get sacked and give up your seat," the analyst explained.
Like many others in the country, the analyst called for a full review of the Anti-Hopping Law. Critics have also warned that a clause that forces a "resignation" would have to be tested in court first, to see if it is legally viable.
POLITICAL CRISIS OF ANWAR'S MAKING?
Indeed, Anwar has been blamed for causing the political crisis by condoning the 'de-facto' defections - as it makes a mockery of the general elections that were held late last year.
"I think the people deserve better. Malaysia needs transparency from its political parties, not more murkiness. The Anti-Hopping Law is a big mess and should not have been rushed through. It's not just the government of that day but also the opposition which includes DAP at that time that is to blame. They too wanted some quick credit from voters ahead of the general election, something to justify that at least, they did manage to get the Anti-Hopping Law in," said the analyst.
"So blaming Muhyiddin now is typical of 'passing the buck' politics and a reflection of how dirty the game has now become. Firstly, you should not even withhold federal funds from opposition MPs but worse still, you pretend and point the finger back at the opposition while you roll out the red carpet for these unethical-behaving MPs. So who is really unscrupulous here?"
In the past weeks, four of Muhyiddin's MPs had gone rogue, supporting Anwar in exchange for funding, while refusing to quit Bersatu.
Malaysia's Anti-Hopping Law only requires MPs who quit their parties or join another party to vacate their seats. Lawmakers who are sacked from their party are exempt from this.
And this is the loophole Anwar and his 'Madani' government are being criticized for tapping, allegedly to ensure their own political survival, instead of plugging and repairing the leak.
Written by Stan Lee, Politics Now!
Politics Now!
Comments