KUALA LUMPUR – Good riddance to bad rubbish. This is the stand of opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim on the loss of two PKR lawmakers to the Perikatan Nasional bloc yesterday.
Anwar said he is not losing sleep over the betrayal of Julau MP and former Sarawak PKR chief Larry Sng, and Tebrau MP Steven Choong.
This is because it helps purge the party of leaders who can be compromised, he said.
At the same time, the loss of two MPs does not change the fact that the opposition pact still has the required numbers to form the government.
Speaking to reporters in Port Dickson today, Anwar, who is the constituency’s MP, reiterated his view that Pakatan Harapan has more MPs than the ruling coalition.
“With the two that jumped, they (PN) are still in the minority. I want to emphasise this, so there is no misunderstanding. They are still the minority, with far lesser numbers than us.”
PN, led by Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, claims to have 111 MPs in Parliament.
However, the composition in the Dewan Rakyat should remain the status quo, as Sng and Choong’s resignations come after Umno’s Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz and Datuk Ahmad Jazlan Yaakub withdrew support for PN in January.
“If the prime minister has the courage to reconvene Parliament, and open himself to a vote of confidence, we will be able to tell who has majority support, and settle this impasse once and for all,” said Anwar, who is also PKR president.
He added that if the opposition was given the opportunity to show its numbers last September, when he announced the fall of Muhyiddin’s administration, the people would have had the government they initially voted for in 2018, to better manage the country during the Covid-19 pandemic and economic downturn.
It is understood that up to 22 Umno MPs had pledged support for a political partnership with Anwar as prime minister.
Anwar said apart from enticements for MPs to cross over, PN has also been using the authorities to pressure lawmakers to quit PH.
“There are no problems if the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission or Inland Revenue Board (IRB) wants to exercise their right and continue actions against the opposition.
“We, too, do not want corrupt people in our coalition.
“However, the authorities should equally train their tentacles on PN to investigate if these MPs are being bought over.”
On the IRB cases involving several MPs, he said these are matters that can be settled through legal means.
“Pay what you owe. Paying your taxes is your obligation as a citizen. It is a form of patriotism and serving your country. If you evade taxes, you have no business serving the people.”
At the same time, he reminded PN: “Don’t use this to pressure people to jump parties. It is very unethical.” – The Vibes, March 2, 2021
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