KUALA LUMPUR – A group of former PKR lawmakers are hitting back, especially at secretary-general Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail, following criticism directed at the ruling Perikatan Nasional coalition over Datuk Xavier Jayakumar’s defection.
The 10 lawmakers, who defected last year, in a joint statement said Saifuddin Nasution would do well to keep his peace as he does not have the moral standing to preach about party-hopping as he left Umno for PKR.
“Unlike Xavier, who was elected PKR vice-president, Saifuddin Nasution’s political standing in the party is weak at best, and, as a mere appointee, he has no democratic legitimacy.
“If he is really earnest about the rule of law, due process and fight against corruption, as he makes himself out to be, why has he remained silent about the corruption case involving a prominent Pakatan Harapan leader that was abruptly terminated even as the trial was proceeding smoothly – much to the consternation and disappointment of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) and public alike?”
They said the allegation that PN is using enticement and intimidation to garner the support from opposition MPs is baseless.
The statement is issued by Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali (Gombak), Datuk Zuraida Kamaruddin (Ampang), Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah (Indera Mahkota), Datuk Mohd Rashid Hasnon (Batu Pahat), Datuk Kamarudin Jaffar (Bandar Tun Razak), Datuk Mansor Othman (Nibong Tebal), Datuk Seri Edmund Santhara Kumar (Segamat), Datuk Ali Biju (Saratok), Datuk Willie Mongin (Puncak Borneo) and Jonathan Yasin (Ranau).
The 10 are responding to a statement yesterday by Saifuddin Nasution, who alleged that there is a concerted effort by the PN government to get opposition MPs’ support by way of baits and threats using police, the Inland Revenue Board and MACC.
The PH secretary-general had said Xavier recently met with PKR leaders to inform them that MACC has detained his political secretary, personal assistant and several acquaintances as part of an ongoing investigation.
“Xavier was then contacted by a senior minister, who told him that he has to support PN or face serious consequences.
“However, what is happening now is that government instruments, including MACC, are being used by senior politicians in the PN administration to switch the support of opposition MPs.
“This is a form of abuse of power, especially when we are aware of the corruption and abuse of power committed by the government, and no action is taken.”
The PH presidential council in a statement last week slammed PN’s tactic of using enforcement agencies to intimidate opposition representatives into defecting.
When the 10 lawmakers defected to support PN in February last year – in an act dubbed the Sheraton Move – it triggered the collapse of the PH administration.
Today, they said: “The allegation (against PN) represents a completely unwarranted and slanderous attack on the MACC and police, our integrity and law enforcement institutions, which all law abiding citizens hold with the highest regard.
“We do not take lightly these blatantly seditious accusations that could undermine the credibility of our national institutions, and call for swift action against the perpetrators.”
Yesterday, Kuala Langat MP Datuk Xavier Jayakumar announced his resignation as PKR vice-president and member, opting instead to support the PN government as an independent.
“Throughout my career as a politician, I have been with PKR since 1998,” he said in a brief statement yesterday.
“However, following the events that have unfolded in this past year, I have grown extremely frustrated.”
His departure from PKR makes him the third MP to cross over in recent weeks, with Julau’s Larry Sng and Tebrau’s Steven Choong also exiting the party to support Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin’s administration.
Sng, who became a government-friendly independent after quitting PKR, shifted blame for his defection onto his former pact.
He said PH’s constant whining about unequal allocation for opposition MPs could have been avoided had it implemented the necessary reforms while in power.
He stopped short of admitting that the lack of funds is being used by the PN government to hold his constituency, which is among the poorest in the country, hostage.
He said when he was on the opposition bench, there is a shortage of allocation to address his constituents’ basic needs, prompting his move across the aisle.
Meanwhile, Choong said by pledging his allegiance to Muhyiddin, he is not only guaranteed funds for his constituency, but also promised a key role in the government.
He said he will act as a “coordinator” among the various ministries and agencies following his move to quit PKR and become an independent parliamentarian supporting PN.
He added that he had been courted by PN since the collapse of the PH government in March last year, but decided to join only now as he feels the situation in his constituency has not improved. – The Vibes, March 14, 2021
