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Government as a result of party hopping will not last long |
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Written by bernama 15/05/08
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Thursday, 15 May 2008 08:43 |
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(Bernama) KUALA LUMPUR, May 14 -- A veteran Sabah politician said the government that the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) is trying to form through Barisan Nasional (BN) MPs switching parties will not last long.
Parti Bersatu Rakyat Sabah (PBRS) president Tan Sri Joseph Kurup said the people will not have confidence in a government formed in that manner.
Instead, the Deputy Minister for Rural and Regional Development, said the international community will not respect a government formed through party-hopping.
"I believe the world will not feel comfortable with such a government," Kurup said at the Parliament lobby when asked about the PR's efforts to entice Sabah MPs in a bid to form a PR government.
He said it was true that Sabahans were not happy with the way the federal government had handled some important issues, especially illegal immigrants, but that did not mean they had lost confidence in the BN government.
Kurup said he believed that BN's unity in Sabah was still strong as all (present) had agreed to be loyal to the BN during the meeting with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi earlier.
"We've given our pledge. My party's stand is that we must honour the pledge in bad or good times... must (be) with BN," he said.
Kalabakan MP, Datuk Seri Abdul Ghapur Salleh, also stressed that he will not switch parties although of late he has been seen as always questioning the federal government's actions especially on Sabah's development.
"Those people who are not satisfied, probably they would jump, (but) for me no... if I am not satisfied I won't jump to another party, (instead) I will form my own party," he said.
Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) president, Datuk Seri Joseph Pairin Kitingan, on the other hand agreed to having an anti-hopping law.
According to him, if a people's representative wanted to party hop, a by-election should be held to give an opportunity to the people to choose who should represent them.
Umno Youth chief, Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein, said every BN component party must be united in any situation to ensure the struggle to care for the people was achieved.
"What is important is the principle of being one team. In difficulty or good times (we) must be united for the larger struggle of building a nation of just and loyal people who were not always politicising," he said at the Parliament lobby.
"If we are still shackled (by thinking about) who will be pulled or prodded to hop here or there, we will not have time to think how we are going to care for the people according to their wishes," Hishammuddin said when asked to comment about 16 MPs from Sabah who were said would hop parties Wednesday.
He blamed Parti Keadilan Rakyat adviser, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, who he said made various promises during the last general election and his efforts to prod MPs from Sabah and Sarawak to join the opposition to form a new government.
"What Anwar is doing is changing the date of hopping week by week, he kept changing all the time and I was told today is Wednesday and we are supposed to have the new government," he said.
Kota Belud MP, Datuk Abdul Rahman Dahlan, described the actions of the opposition to offer "a large share" to MPs from Sabah and Sarawak to switch parties as showing their (the opposition's) true colours.
"This is another way for them to cloud the people's vision. How are they going to form a government that is supposedly free of corruption if they offer bribes to the people's representatives to form a government," he asked, admitting that he had at one time been offered a lot of money to hop party. |
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Last Updated ( Thursday, 29 May 2008 09:29 )
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