Melaka Election: Grave mistake to accept the 4, while pushing for anti-hopping laws

File photo of Ram Karpal, MP for Bukit Gelugor and DAP Chairman National Legal Bureau

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 1 – It will be a grave mistake for Pakatan Harapan to accept the four state assemblyman (whose action of removing their support for the Chief Minister set the ball rolling for the upcoming Melaka state election) and at the same time time push for anti-hopping laws pursuant to the Memorandum of Understanding that it recently signed with the government, says Ram Karpal Singh, Member of Parliament for Bukit Gelugor and DAP Chairman National Legal Bureau.

“The view of Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim that the Melaka four ought not to be looked at the same way as those behind the Sheraton move last year, with respect, must be addressed,” Ram Karpal said in a press statement issued here today.

“Essentially, Anwar takes the view that the said four are actually returning the mandate of the people to Pakatan Harapan, unlike those behind the Sheraton move who robbed it from PH.

“It must be noted that the said four have not publicly expressed their reason for becoming independents as wanting to return the mandate of the people to PH,” he said.

The four state assemblymen who withdrew their support from the Melaka Perikatan Nasional administration, led by Chief Minister Datuk Seri Sulaiman Md Ali, are former Sungai Udang assemblyman Datuk Seri Idris Haron, Datuk Nor Azman Hassan (Pantai Kundor), Datuk Noor Effandi Ahmad (Telok Mas) and Datuk Norhizam Hassan Baktee (Pengkalan Batu).

Ram Karpal said that two of the four were in fact from UMNO and were never part of PH.

“As such, the question of them returning the mandate to PH by becoming independents does not arise. To say that the two non-UMNO members of the said four were not complicit in the Sheraton move is wrong as they would have remained in PH after the said move last year if they were not.

“The reason given publicly by the said four for becoming independents was because they had become frustrated with the administration of the Melaka government, not because they were remorseful that same was robbed from PH.

“Even if they now contend that the reason for them becoming independents was to return the mandate of the people to PH, this would clearly be an afterthought as there has been no indication from them publicly before that this was the case.”

–WE