YOURSAY | 'Most of those who want to cross are just trying to save their own skin.'

Headhunter: I fully subscribe to the idea of an anti-party hopping law. Just look at Sabah, which is a repeat of the past.

We can't blame Sabahans if they refuse to cast their votes the next time. It's a betrayal of citizens, unprincipled and morally bankrupt to put oneself up for auction to the highest bidder after having won.

Now the disease is spreading over to the other states. We certainly didn't vote for this. Pakatan Harapan should not be greedy and want more numbers. Most of those who want to cross are just trying to save their own skin from prosecution and exposure of their tainted past.

If Harapan does its job well, the people will even give it a bigger mandate the next time. But if Harapan is tainted by these political rejects, it will stain the government and leave a bad taste in the mouth.

It's time to make party-hopping a disqualification for elected representatives.

Abasir: Marriage-of-convenience politics aka coalition politics is, by design, fraught with constant tension and with pulls from multiple directions.

Unlike the BN coalition of unequals, where Umno called all the shots to maintain "stability" for 60 years, Harapan, born out of a single desire to oust then-prime minister Najib Abdul Razak, is a coalition struggling to find its feet and voice on the complexities of governance.

It will, like all groups, go through the forming, storming and norming stages before it actually starts performing.

The one factor that may scuttle the process and keep it mired in the storming stage is the possibility of Bersatu shoring up its numbers by allowing the influx of its erstwhile comrades from Umno.

That might induce PKR to do the same, given the fact that it too is cut from the same Umno cloth.

As of now, there is little evidence to say whether there will be wisdom among Harapan leaders to stay focused on why they were voted in, to begin with by citizens with unrealistically high expectations.

Drngsc: Firstly, #TakNakKatak. Secondly, Malaysiakini columnist P Gunasegaram has a point. Behind closed doors, the Harapan presidential council must have a mechanism to make joint decisions, especially the very important ones, like those on cabinet members.

Presidential council, please make decisions to reflect the will of all the people of Malaysia, not just some of the people.

We do acknowledge that Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad has contributed much to help us win GE14. But many of the others also played an important part in securing victory. A simple glance at the chart in Gunasegaram’s column will tell.

Please represent the will of all the people of Malaysia.

Anonymous: Gunasegaram, you seem unnecessarily hung up over the first four cabinet positions announced by Mahathir when there are 25 more to come.

Yes, there should have been consultation on key issues but PKR vice-president Rafizi Ramli’s offence was that he aired his misgivings in public, thus giving the impression that the component parties of Harapan have started bickering even before they began.

That's not good unless you believe that in the interest of transparency, all dirty laundry should be aired in public. I don't think undermining public confidence serves the interest of democracy.

As for the Anti-Fake News Act, you are asking for a knee-jerk reaction rather than a proper study first. There is really a lot of fake news that is propagated through social media. Maybe the Act can be amended in a way that deals with this problem in a way that is acceptable and non-draconian?

With regard to party hopping, politics is the art of compromise so I don't think a blanket ban is the right way to go. There could be cases that are prompted not by inducements but by genuine changes of heart.

After all, many top Harapan leaders, including Mahathir himself, changed their party affiliation, and with good reasons too.

David Dass: I think that equality of all members of the coalition is an acceptable principle. It is difficult to gauge the relative strength and contribution of each member of the coalition to the electoral victory.

Rafizi and his think-tank Invoke were an important component to deliver the Malay vote. Amanah did give PAS a good fight. And DAP delivered the Chinese and perhaps the Indian votes.

But Mahathir led the election. He galvanised the nation. He caused the eruption and the tsunami which swept the nation.

The understanding explicitly stated was that Mahathir would be prime minister for two years. He must be given the time. The people expect it.

PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim will be deputy prime minister. Anwar must be patient. Yes, I agree that PKR must be given substantive ministries. And Umno crossovers should not reverse the promise of change.

Mahathir should not revert to old habits with old partners. It was those habits that got the nation into the mess that was Najib's BN. And Harapan promised to change everything. Harapan said - no more!

Old habits die hard. Change must come slowly. To move from a race-based system to a needs-based system is a big change that must be handled carefully.

Moving from a system that saw Umno domination to one that is shared by all Malaysians is a big thing, and the people must experience the benefit of such change.

All components must move in tandem with one another. They must not pull in different directions. It cannot be the BN formula of one for Indians and two for Chinese and five for Malays. That formula led to leakages and to the poor and needy of all races being neglected.

No more! There must be consultation. It is only through consultation that old habits will change. But there is a need for quick decisions. And Mahathir must not be shackled. He is experienced. And he is fast and decisive. All must keep up with him.

Hopelessly: It may be too early to tell, but I do worry about the self-proclaimed "Malay First" Muhiyiddin Yassin holding the power as home minister.

I hope the other Harapan members know what they are doing and have some safety net in case things get out of hand.

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