Wednesday, February 4, 2009

DEFECTION – WILL THIS BE THE FUTURE OF MALAYSIAN POLITICS?

“UMNO had stooped so low by accepting former PKR assemblymen who have been charge with corruption” was the remarks made by Tun Mahathir Mohamed, in view of the events surrounding the PR led state government over the defections of a number of its assemblymen to the BN.

Responding to these defections, BN components party leaders have expressed support for the coalition to form a new state government in Perak, despite what many say as “a government formed through illegitimate means”. It appears that for the BN, gaining back the lost states is the end, and the means to that end does not really matter.

And for this, I have to remind Information Minister Shabery Cheek to ask UMNO/BN to be “more mature in politics and do not hope for defections by elected representatives to enable them to join any new government that might be formed”. This was what he said of PAS and the opposition in London, and have you forgotten this Shabery Cheek? What have you to say now.........just swallow your words.

For me, all the four assemblymen that had defected from PR and joined BN does not deserve to remain elected representatives. They ought to remember that the electorates had voted them on the basis of them being a representative of the party that they had once belong. They cannot now claim that they have the full support of the electorates which is quite the contrary. This is because their decision to defect is not the decision of the electorates; rather it was a unilateral decision. Hence, their position as an elected representative is deemed illegitimate, and to prove their legitimacy to the position is by resigning and to contest a by-election.

Tun Mahathir's remarks of UMNO's decision to accept defectors, and worse still with a tinted record is apt. UMNO cannot now say that they have accepted them based on the people's choice and having the confidence of the electorates. Neither can they be referred to as leaders, and if UMNO insist that they be called leaders, I will dubbed them as 'shameless leaders'. Worse still, by willingly accepting them, will only add to UMNO's already large numbers of tinted members/representatives.

One ought not to be distracted by the events surrounding the fall of the state of Perak to the BN. Rather, one has to search very deeply the circumstances that had caused the PR assemblymen to defect. There will be many questions to be asked and equally, many answers to be made. Whatever be the questions, certainly CORRUPTION will be in everybody's mind.


CRUSADE AGAINST CORRUPTION
Posted at 10.45 pm on Feb 4, 2009

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