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KUALA LUMPUR – Independent candidates who end up being elected for either state or parliamentary seats should be considered party-hoppers if they later join a political party, R.S.N. Rayer (Jelutong-PH) said.
Rayer, when interjecting during Larry Sng’s (Julau-Parti Bangsa Malaysia) remarks, said independents should remain as what their status suggests.
“If you are an independent, you must remain independent, you cannot be jumping from here to there. You must remain independent to really say that you have principles,” said Rayer.
He made the remark just as Sng was presenting his suggestion that independent candidates who later join political outfits should not be considered as party-hoppers.
Sng said independent candidates must be respected for winning the seats through their own actions and engagement with voters, which should allow them to decide their direction without being deemed a party-hopper.
Rayer interjected again, saying the mandate of the people would be given to the candidate based on their status, and not for parties they join in the future.
“You cannot play with the mandate of the people. There is a difference between an independent and ‘frog’.”
Sng himself has changed allegiances over the years, contesting in the 2013 election under what was known then as the Sarawak Workers’ Party, and then as an independent in 2018.
Later, Sng joined PKR and was appointed as the party’s Sarawak chief until he defected in February last year, declaring himself a government-friendly independent until he co-founded Parti Bangsa Malaysia in January. – The Vibes, April 11, 2022
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