KUCHING: Elected wakil rakyat (people’s representatives) are insulting their constituents when they engage in party hopping, said Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) Women chief Datuk Seri Doris Sophia Brodie.
Not only that, this reflects their lack of integrity and morality, she added.
Doris said that what is even worse is when such a move is motivated by self-agenda at the expense of the people.
“When the people elected a representative under a banner in which he or she stands on, it is his or her moral commitment and obligation to serve the constituency according to the mandate given under the said banner,” she told New Sarawak Tribune on Tuesday.
She was responding to Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) vice-president Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah’s remarks on Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) politicians and that they were not party-hoppers or could be bought.
Abdul Karim said GPS politicians are cultured and it is impossible for the Opposition to dangle the carrot in front of them — “not even with RM10 million.”
To this, Doris said Abdul Karim’s statement was indeed veracious, as a true blue Sarawakian MP or Adun would always stand their ground behind a GPS banner for better or for worse.
“No matter what temptation and hindrance there may be, a mission must be accomplished to fight for Sarawak’s rights and long-term gain, knowing with deep sense that they are fighting a good cause for Sarawak and Sarawakians,” she said.
Doris believed that the deep sense of commitment and struggle embedded in them plus having high self-honour and integrity would make GPS MPs and Adun members unperturbed and not easily influenced by the party-hopping culture.
“In hindsight and to avoid political instability in the future and ‘carrot dangling’ politics in Malaysia, an anti-party hopping law must be in place. It is about time we have one. The sooner, the better,” she stressed.
