KUALA LUMPUR – It has barely been six months since former PKR vice-president Datuk Xavier Jayakumar advocated an enactment for anti-hopping laws, but now he appears to have backtracked on his words.
During the Sabah polls in September last year, Xavier called for laws to prevent party defections, saying the lack of legislation led to the political turmoil in the state.
Calling the action of party-hopping “unethical” and “immoral”, Xavier, at the time, told The Vibes chief reporter Azril Annuar that defections should be made a crime, especially after elections are held.
“Sabah is long-known for party-hopping. I think this has to stop,” the former land and natural resources minister said during an exclusive interview.
“A mechanism has to be put in place. Party-hopping after an election should not be allowed. It is unethical and immoral.
“You are taking away the people’s voice and support by doing this. You were voted in on one ticket, and, suddenly, you change to another. How do you expect people to react?”
His remarks echoed a proposal by Padang Rengas MP Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz (Umno), who on July 22, called for a party-list system to tackle the problem.
“Nazri brought up the issue at the last (Dewan Rakyat) sitting. I think it’s time we parliamentarians from across the board get together and come up with a law against party-hopping. This is possible.
“We have a lot of mechanisms. We have a lot of examples. Parliaments in Europe, like in Germany... (take into account) both the popular vote and the individual (ones). The percentage of votes that each party gets (translates into the) percentage of representatives in Parliament.”
The Kuala Langat MP had insisted that “there are many ways you can do this”.
“It’s something we have to discuss. I, to a certain extent, support the move to bring about a law that makes party-hopping a crime.”
However, Xavier’s opaque announcement on his withdrawal from PKR and Pakatan Harapan last week showed him taking on a different tone, with his actions speaking volumes.
On Saturday, Xavier relinquished his party post, opting to support the Perikatan Nasional government – led by Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin – as an independent.
Noting his membership and support for PKR since its inception in 1998, Xavier cited he has “grown extremely frustrated” over the events that transpired last year.
His departure from PKR comes hot on the heels of the arrest of a close associate, Perak PKR deputy chairman M.A. Tinagaran, by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) last month.
The probe saw the MACC seize RM1.2 million in cash and freeze RM77 million in bank accounts, as well as impound several luxury cars.
In a statement last week, the PH presidential council accused PN of using enforcement agencies to intimidate opposition lawmakers into defecting.
While critics, including former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, drew parallels with the probe and the subsequent defection, Xavier suggested that the events are not inextricably linked.
“I am sticking with my stance, that is all,” he told reporters after attending a Covid-19 immunisation programme in his constituency. – The Vibes, March 16, 2021
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