What’s the point of Act if hopping continues: Warisan
Published on: Wednesday, November 22, 2023
Azis told GRS Information Chief Datuk Joniston Bangkuai that PBS Vice President Datuk Ruslan Muharam admits that pinching party members still occurs and demands that the culture of pinching party members had to stop.
Kota Kinabalu: Warisan Information Chief Datuk Azis Jamman said changing support for a political party other than one’s own is still happening despite the anti-party hopping law.
“This was what Warisan President Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal meant when debating at the Dewan Rakyat,” Azis said in a statement, Tuesday.
ADVERTISEMENT
He said Shafie was referring to the Anti-Party Hopping Act, which was passed unanimously in the Dewan Rakyat and has since come into effect, and that the Sabah State Legislative Assembly has also approved and enforced the law.
“Unfortunately, party hopping and violating party orders continue to occur and are even regarded as matured politics. Why was the anti-hop law passed if hopping and defying party instructions is considered mature politics?
“Simply repeal the Act and reinstate the culture of ‘Buying, Bargaining and Bribing’ people’s representatives if that practice is deemed mature,” Azis added.
“What is the point of the Act if the same behaviour continues in Sabah and the Federal?”
ADVERTISEMENT
Azis told GRS Information Chief Datuk Joniston Bangkuai that PBS Vice President Datuk Ruslan Muharam admits that pinching party members still occurs and demands that the culture of pinching party members had to stop.
“Isn’t the culture of pinching YBs actually much worse even with the Anti-Hop Law in place? Why should PGRS pinch PBS supporters while PBS is a component of GRS?
ADVERTISEMENT
“True, what happened is history, and the circumstances that happened in 2018 and 2020 occurred when the Anti-Party Hop Act was not yet in place.
However, I would like to remind Joniston that the Act was not in effect in 2018 when Warisan formed the State Government alongside Pakatan Harapan and Upko.
“At the time, Upko moved as a party or bloc to form a government with Warisan Plus. There aren’t simply one or two representatives.
“There were representatives from Umno who left the party before Shafie was sworn in as Chief Minister at that time, there were only two people. But at that time, with the number of representatives from Warisan, PH and Upko it was enough to form the government.”
“As a result of this Scheme of Things, today many Sabah GLCs are suffering losses as revealed by the Sabah Finance Minister Datuk Seri Masidi Manjun,” he said.
Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
Daily Express Malaysia
