PKR MP tells Idris quartet to stand as independents
MALACCA POLLS | The four Malacca state assemblypersons who caused the state government's collapse last month must stand as independent candidates in the snap polls, a PKR MP said.
Selayang MP William Leong Jee Keen (above) in a statement stressed that Pakatan Harapan should also not allow them to contest under the coalition's banner.
"The four state assemblypersons who withdrew their support from the chief minister and caused the collapse of the Perikatan Nasional Malacca state government must...
MALACCA POLLS | The four Malacca state assemblypersons who caused the state government's collapse last month must stand as independent candidates in the snap polls, a PKR MP said.
Selayang MP William Leong Jee Keen (above) in a statement stressed that Pakatan Harapan should also not allow them to contest under the coalition's banner.
"The four state assemblypersons who withdrew their support from the chief minister and caused the collapse of the Perikatan Nasional Malacca state government must stand as independents.
"They have a duty and obligation to prove their actions which toppled their own government were done for the purpose of upholding the principles and the ideology of their parties.
"They have to prove that the voters agree it was the chief minister and not each of them who had deviated from their principles.
"These four state assemblypersons must therefore stand on their own so they can be either vindicated or condemned by their voters. They cannot hide under the ticket of some other political party," he said.
Leong's statement came on the heels of speculations that Harapan is looking at admitting the four - Idris Haron (Sungai Udang), Nor Azman Hassan (Pantai Kundor), Noor Effandi Ahmad (Telok Mas), and Norhizam Hassan Baktee (Pengkalan Batu) - as their candidates in the Malacca state polls.
A slew of Harapan leaders has voiced their concern about working with the four. The issue also caused tension to flare in the coalition.
Leong also claimed that accepting the four would bring damning implications to Harapan, including having its political brand "tarnished beyond repair".
"These four assemblypersons come from parties that support racial politics and the ideology of upholding Malay supremacy.
"They did not have an epiphany where in a moment of sudden and great revelation they realised Malay supremacy is wrong and converted to multiracialism and the reforms in the Harapan manifesto.
"If Harapan/PKR takes them in, it means the coalition is no longer serious about its reform agenda, manifesto, ideology, and struggle for change.
"This means the coalition is no more than political opportunists looking for office, the perks and power that comes with it, and not looking to implement change," he said.
Leong said voters would no longer trust Harapan candidates to implement reforms and policies that they stand for when elected.
Working with defectors, he said, means Harapan is prepared to continue the "circus" of a cycling parliamentary majority that has been seen since the Sheraton Move political coup.
He also accused such politicians of selling their support to the highest bidder and disregarding the disruption to the country caused by the political chaos.
'Don't lose moral high ground'
Meanwhile, DAP's Iskandar Puteri MP Lim Kit Siang in a statement today called on Harapan not to allow the four to stand as its candidates.
Calling them the "immoral Malacca quartet", Lim said the coalition must not lose its moral high ground by accepting the four.
"Politics has been wrongly described as 'dirty' but it is not politics which is dirty but dirty politicians who make politics 'dirty'.
"Politics throughout history is a noble path to serve humanity to take human beings to a higher plane of justice, freedom, equality, and humanity. But it has also been debased to serve the selfish interests of kleptocrats, opportunists, and crooks to amass wealth and power for their own personal aggrandisement.
"This is why I welcome the decision of the Pakatan Harapan presidential council rejecting the overtures of one of the four former Malacca state assemblymen who caused the Malacca state general election on Nov 20.
"But I am of the view that the other three former Malacca state assemblymen who constituted 'the immoral Malacca quartet' who caused the Malacca state election should also not become Pakatan Harapan candidates," he said.
Lim also indirectly chided PKR vice-president Tian Chua for urging Harapan to work with whoever is capable of helping them achieve victory in Malacca.
The veteran politician said he would rather lose an election than work with "kleptocrats, opportunists, and crooks".
Prior to this, PKR lawmakers such as Hassan Karim (Pasir Gudang), Chua Wei Kiat (Rawang), Simon Ooi (Bakar Arang), Jimmy Puah (Bukit Batu), and Sandrea Ng (Teja) have publicly voiced their disapproval as well.
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