Malaysians are condemning Umno politicians who are leaving the party to join Pakatan Harapan (PH).
On Facebook, user Pejo Ung said Pakatan’s willingness to accept these party hoppers was “a bitter pill for voters to swallow”.
“We came out in full force, with many incurring travelling expenses on May 9 to vote for change and throw out a corrupt government.
“It is a betrayal and inexcusable exercise to accept these frogs, who are just looking for a new gravy train to ride,” he said.
Meanwhile, Sardul Singh said that party hopping should stop or Pakatan would be “gone”.
Sri Subanesh Narayanan criticised those who switched parties, saying that these defectors “can’t even be dignified and loyal to the party they belong to”.
Ahmad Ziakari said party hoppers “must be thoroughly screened”, adding that Pakatan should choose only the useful and honest ones.
Gerard Lim questioned Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia’s willingness to accept those who exited Umno.
“After all the efforts from Malaysians all over the world who voted for a change of government, why Bersatu are you scrapping from the bottom of the burnt Umno pot?
“Don’t make us voters look like fools,” he said.
But Simon Lee reasoned that even those who were in PKR today were once in Umno and that there was no harm in accepting the defectors.
Lim Meaw Yong said not all the hopping politicians were bad, as some might have finally seen the light and wanted a change that would benefit the people.
Meanwhile, political experts and community leaders are calling for the Umno MPs and assemblymen to remain and play an effective role as an opposition to check on the government and to respect the choice of their constituents.
Asli Centre for Public Policy Studies chairman Tan Sri Ramon Navaratnam said these were unnecessary politicking that the public had become weary of.
“The game of musical chairs is not unusual, but the music must stop now. Those elected have to work instead of jumping around.
Datuk Noor Farida Ariffin, who is a member of the G25 group of eminent Malays, said the recent spate of Umno defections was not fair to the constituents.
“There should be an anti-hopping law. However, even without such a law, political parties should respect the decision of the voters.
“Many Malaysians are very concerned with the turn of events,” she said.
Noor Farida said even if ex-Umno MPs were to join Pakatan Harapan component parties, they should not be accepted immediately.
“If these Umno members want to defect from their party, that is their business. But Pakatan should wait at least a year before accepting any former Umno members.
“They should also review the applicants on a case-by-case basis to ensure that the applicants do not have a history of corruption and abuse,” she added.
Universiti Sains Malaysia political science lecturer Dr Azmil Tayeb said the Umno crossovers were a “betrayal of basic democratic principles”.
“In a fully functioning democracy, you need a strong opposition to have that check and balance,” he said, adding that there should be strong leaders in Umno and PAS.
He said the possibility of a mass influx of Umno politicians into Pakatan had raised concerns among staunch government supporters.
“The discontent is coming from people who have been with Pakatan Rakyat and Harapan through thick and thin.
“They are people who expected to have serious reforms and see that things are slowly going back to the old ways with the same old faces.
“Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia is the ‘weakest’ in the coalition. There is a sense of insecurity, so this is a way to shore up support within the Parliament,” Azmil said.
Umno’s federal seats reduced to 37 from 54 after May 9, following the decision by 17 of its MPs to leave the party. – The Star