Accepting Umno reps a betrayal, says Pakatan MP

Updated 5 years ago · Published on 13 Dec 2018 12:20PM · 6 Comments

Malaysians voted for change at the last elections and voted out BN for the first time in the nation's history. – EPA pic, December 13, 2018.

ACCEPTING elected representatives from Umno into Pakatan Harapan goes against the government’s commitment to reform, DAP’s Ramkarpal Singh said today amid talk that more leaders from the defeated Malay party could join PH.

PH does not need these representatives, the Bukit Gelugor MP said, as it would cause the public to lose confidence in the coalition, which wrested power from Barisan Nasional for the first time in the country’s history.

“The more PH entertains these crossovers, the more disillusioned the rakyat will become with PH. 

“It is a dangerous development and completely against the will of the people who voted out BN in GE14.

“To accept them into Pakatan Harapan now would be a betrayal of the rakyat who wanted a real change, not merely a cosmetic one where many old faces are a part of the new government,” Ramkarpal said in a statement.

Umno lost five more MPs yesterday when its parliamentarians from Sabah quit Barisan Nasional and declared themselves independents. This brings Umno’s tally of parliamentary seats nationwide down to 43, from 54 it won in GE14.

Ramkarpal said the issue at stake was how any crossover to PH would reflect on the government’s commitment to reform and change.

“These Umno MPs were a part of a system that PH has committed to change. In order to do so, we have to first clear the decks and allowing them into PH would be the complete opposite of this.

“The reason given by these representatives for their departure i.e. that Umno today lacks direction is laughable as just as recent as eight months ago, Umno, to them, was their one and only direction.”

Ramkarpal added that the change and reform the PH government was undertaking should not be limited to charging former BN leaders with corruption but to dismantle policies and corruption that had become rampant under its rule. – December 13, 2018.  

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Comments

  • Really? What did you guy say when Anwar was trying to engineer a crossover to take over the government in 2008? Nothing, right?

    Some of us are too idealistic to understand real politics. Btw, isn't PKR an offshoot of UMNO?

    Posted 5 years ago by Yoon Fatt Ng · Reply

  • Great ram

    Posted 5 years ago by Astann astann · Reply

  • Somewhere along the way, one gets the creepy feeling that, Mahathir appears to be losing the plot.

    Or that, this was part of the game plan all along..?

    Posted 5 years ago by Rock Hensem · Reply

  • completely agree. Need to be very careful and should not return to old ways. These MPs should also be not let off if they have committed any crimes or had corrupt practice before.

    Posted 5 years ago by Azad RAZACK · Reply

  • YB Ram, we all cannot remain enemies for life! If they are clean after a vetting and assessment process (over their performance and conduct), no harm accepting them as it will be a good thing for PH in the long term..
    No need to be vengeful.. Of course all cant be accepted. Do it case by case

    Posted 5 years ago by TTs Take · Reply

  • Of course too they must adhere to PHs policies and reform plans, and there must be certain conditions put forth for their crossing over.. eg no government positions, no special privilege, etc

    Posted 5 years ago by TTs Take · Reply