THE BERSATU Legal and Constitution Bureau has rubbished a reported assertion by Community Communications Department (J-Kom) deputy director-general Datuk Ismail Yusop that the act of persuading MPs to withdraw support from the prime minister is “treason”.
Its deputy chairman Sasha Lyna Abdul Latif said it is shocking and irresponsible for a government agency to label such a move as treason, notwithstanding whether the claim of the move taking place in Dubai is true or not.
“Changing government by withdrawal of support by MPs is not treason; it is democracy in action and permitted by Article 43 of the Federal Constitution,” she said.
“This unbecoming rant from J-Kom is ill-informed, ignorant and intended to paint a distasteful picture of the opposition to the public at large.”
She called it ironic that the administration of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has for the past few months been enticing opposition MPs to jump ship and persuading a few MPs from Perikatan Nasional (PN) to shift their allegiance to Anwar.
“How is it that if and when there are MPs from his corner who have lost faith in his administration and leadership, and are looking for other better alternatives, they are dubbed as betrayers and much worse, treasonous? This is sheer shamelessness and hypocrisy.”
Sasha pointed out that under the Federal Constitution, a prime minister is appointed from the majority support of the MPs in the Dewan Rakyat.
Hence, MPs are free to support whomever they choose, she said, adding that Anwar himself took full advantage of this.
“We all remember Anwar’s infamous ‘I have the numbers’ claim,” she said, referring to his claim made as the opposition leader in late 2020.
“For years when Anwar was the opposition leader, he has made various underhand attempts at toppling governments.
“How was this done? By having talks and negotiations with MPs. Did Anwar commit treason then?” Sasha said.
She added that Ismail’s warning in the media to MPs on which person they support as prime minister in the Dewan Rakyat is itself a threat to parliamentary democracy.
“It also raises a big red flag and seems to indicate that Anwar is prepared to instruct the Home Affairs Ministry, the Chief of Police and the national security authorities to crackdown on opposition leaders,” she further alleged.
“For MPs to withdraw from supporting the PM is a democratic and constitutional right. It is an integral part of parliamentary democracy,” she said.
Ismail was reported by Berita Harian yesterday as saying that the “Dubai Move” cropped up when certain PN leaders were holidaying in the UAE recently.
He claimed that a meeting took place in the country’s main city of Dubai to discuss specific duties for 'officers' responsible for identifying MPs who can be influenced to shift support to the opposition.
The intention is purportedly to set up a government through backdoor means.
He claimed that the conspiracy also involved influential veteran political figures with the rank of Tun who conspired with the opposition, by also allegedly using 'foreign sources', to overthrow Anwar’ government. – The Vibes, December 31, 2023
