KUALA LUMPUR – In a display of protest against the constitutional amendment on party-hopping, Bukit Gantang MP Datuk Syed Abu Hussin Hafiz Syed Abdul Fasal skipped the Dewan Rakyat sitting yesterday.
He said the current administration led by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob is made up of defectors and that the proposed amendments should have been introduced after the general election.
“I didn’t attend the sitting because I don’t agree with this at all,” he was quoted as saying by Free Malaysia Today.
“The government we have was created by party-hoppers. Even the prime minister was chosen by those who had switched parties.”
Mass party-hopping, according to Syed Abu Hussin, is a recent phenomenon for MPs to forge political alliances.
Instead, he said, the amendments should have been made to allow the rakyat to elect their prime minister in order to create a “stronger and more stable government”.
Syed Abu Hussin was among 11 MPs absent from the lower House during the historic vote on the amendment bill.
He won the Bukit Gantang seat in 2018 under the Umno banner but left the party to become an independent when Barisan Nasional lost federal power following the general election.
He then joined Bersatu after Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin’s Perikatan Nasional administration took over the government in 2020, following the Sheraton Move that led to the collapse of the PH administration.
According to to MPs contacted by The Vibes yesterday, among the notable absentees were PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang (Marang-PAS), Bersatu deputy president Datuk Seri Ahmad Faizal Azumu (Tambun-Bersatu), and MIC deputy president Datuk Seri M. Saravanan (Tapah-BN).
Deputy Economic Minister Datuk Eddin Syazlee Shith (Kuala Pilah-Bersatu) was also not in the House during the vote.
An aide to Faizal said the youth and sports minister skipped the Dewan proceedings as he is currently in the United Kingdom attending the Commonwealth Games, while The Vibes is trying to ascertain the reasons behind the absence of the other MPs.
From the opposition bench, Maszlee Malik (Simpang Renggam-PH) was unable to take part in the vote, as he had to represent the Selangor government on behalf of the menteri besar for an event in Dublin, Ireland.
When contacted, he said he would also be delivering a special keynote speech today at Durham University, the institution he obtained his PhD from.
Teh Kok Lim (Taiping-PH) was also absent after testing positive for Covid-19, while Wong Tack (Bentong-PKR) is ill.
It is also learnt that Datuk Mohammaddin Ketapi (Lahad Datu-Independent), Datuk Che Abdullah Mat Nawi (Tumpat-PAS), and Mordi Bimol (Mas Gading-PH) were absent. – The Vibes, July 29, 2022
