Good people don’t need laws to tell them to act responsibly…and bad people will find a way around the laws.
– Plato, Greek philosopher
Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (PPBM) or Bersatu has now switched to “desperate” mode. Its latest move may force several by-elections.
Worried that more of its MPs may turn rogue and support Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s unity government, the opposition party is now prepared for by-elections, if that is what it takes.
Last Saturday, Bersatu held an extraordinary general meeting and successfully introduced an amendment to its party constitution, aimed at preventing future ‘defections’ of its elected representatives.
Party delegates who attended the EGM unanimously supported a motion to amend Article 10 of the Bersatu constitution.
The article stipulates matters of resignation and dismissal of party members.
Bersatu president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said after the meeting that the party’s plan to amend the constitution had gone smoothly.
The move, he said, was aimed at stopping any Bersatu MP or state assemblyperson from “acting wild” and going against party policy.
Muhyiddin cited the recent actions by six Bersatu ‘turncoat’ MPs who pledged their support for Anwar as prime minister while maintaining they were still loyal to the party.
With the amendment to the party constitution, any Bersatu elected representative doing so in the future would automatically cease to be a member of the party, he said.
“When this happens, it will trigger the anti-hopping law per Article 49A of the Federal Constitution and their seats will be vacated.
“Then we will inform the Election Commission so a fresh election can be held,” Muhyiddin said.
Besides stopping future defections by its elected representatives, Bersatu will also seek to vacate the six MPs’ seats.
They are Datuk Zulkafperi Hanapi (Tanjung Karang), Datuk Syed Abu Hussin Hafiz Syed Abdul Fasal (Bukit Gantang), Datuk Iskandar Dzulkarnain Abdul Khalid (Kuala Kangsar), Mohd Azizi Abu Naim (Gua Musang), Zahari Kechik (Jeli), and Datuk Suhaili Abdul Rahman (Labuan).
According to Muhyiddin, Bersatu will first seek the approval of the Registrar of Societies for its resolution before dealing with the six.
He said party secretary-general Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin will send an official letter to each of the six MPs asking them to state their position.
“Hamzah will write to them asking if they indeed support PMX (Anwar). If they say yes, then they will trigger (the constitutional provision and anti-hopping law), and thus would have to vacate their seats.
“Then we will inform the Election Commission,” he said.
In an immediate reaction, Syed Abu Hussin, a rogue Bersatu lawmaker, remained undeterred in his support for the prime minister and said other Bersatu lawmakers should not be afraid either.
He said the party’s new rule to prevent defections by lawmakers from declaring support for Anwar in Parliament cannot stop Bersatu MPs from doing so.
“I call on Bersatu MPs who plan or have intentions to help their constituencies by supporting the prime minister to proceed.
“The amendment (to Bersatu’s constitution) can’t stop support to the prime minister if the amendment has not yet been approved by the Registrar of Societies and can be challenged in court”, the MP added.
Meanwhile, BN is prepared to try and wrest back six parliamentary seats held by Bersatu if they are declared vacant, said Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
The Umno president said these seats used to belong to BN and that Umno and BN candidates should be given priority to contest in these constituencies.
So here we are again – the dreaded by-elections staring at our weary voters in the face again. Forcing by-elections for political expediency can indeed be viewed as unfair to the people.
When by-elections are called solely for political gain or to manipulate the balance of power, it undermines the integrity of the electoral process. It can be seen as a disregard for the will of the electorate and can erode trust in the democratic system.
Furthermore, by-elections can be costly and time-consuming for both taxpayers and candidates. Holding unnecessary by-elections imposes an additional burden on public resources that could be better allocated elsewhere.
Overall, while there may be legitimate reasons for calling a by-election, such as a resignation or death of a sitting representative, doing so purely for political expediency can be seen as an abuse of power and unfair to the people.
In this case, Bersatu leaders are attempting to force by-elections because they are afraid of losing more MPs to the Madani government.
This has absolutely no benefit for the people, but only to fulfil the self-serving interests of desperate politicians.
DISCLAIMER:
The views expressed here are those of the columnist and do not necessarily represent the views of New Sarawak Tribune.
