Ramkarpal: Reject Barisan defectors for true reform of country

GEORGE TOWN: DAP's Ramkarpal Singh (pic) is urging the Pakatan Harapan leadership to reject any defecting Barisan Nasional state and parliamentary elected representatives into the coalition.

The Bukit Gelugor MP said the defection of Barisan elected reps to the newly-minted Pakatan Harapan government is ill-advised and should not be condoned.

"It is imperative for Barisan to be completely rejected for a true reformation of the country.

"The true reforms which Pakatan needs to embark on in its quest to save Malaysia must necessarily exclude such Barisan reps as they were the ones who condoned and supported the regime under former prime minister (Datuk Seri) Najib Razak, whom we toppled," he said in a statement on Saturday (May 12).

He also suggested the Pakatan government emulate the anti-hopping stance taken by the Penang state government in 2012, where a member of the state legislative assembly must vacate his seat if he resigns, is expelled from or ceases to be a member of the party that he was elected under.

Ramkarpal alleged that those representatives were complicit in the mismanagement of the country, and reforms are urgently needed.

He added that an influx of Barisan representatives to Pakatan will erode the confidence of Pakatan voters who voted for change.

"The voters' choice and confidence is paramount and must be respected," he added.

He said that Pakatan had sufficient numbers and calibre within its ranks at present without the need to achieve a two-thirds majority in Parliament through Barisan defections.

"With hard work and perseverance, I have no doubt that Pakatan will achieve that two-thirds majority legitimately in the next general election," he said.

"The Pakatan leadership must seriously reconsider entertaining such defections," he stressed.