POLITICAL observers have deemed the Dewan Rakyat speaker’s decision not to vacate seats of the six Bersatu MPs as having intensified existing “internal squabbles” between the “Pakatan Harapan (PH)-friendly” camp of party president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and that of opposition-inclined faction which boasts massive grassroots support.
They epitome of this is the boldness of UMNO Youth chief Dr Muhamad Akmal Saleh who ‘schooled’ the party’s information director Datuk Lokman Noor Adam after the latter reprimanded the Merlimau state assemblyman making easy the job of Bersatu president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin by becoming “a spokesman for Perikatan Nasional (PN)”.
Yesterday (July 13), Akmal – breached party protocol or even respect for party seniors – by questioning “shallowness” of the UMNO supreme council member’s understanding about how one can considered not “a party hopper nor political frog” after leaving his own party to support an opposing party/coalition”.
“So, will it be OK, too, for government MPs to support the opposition even when they never leave their party? Do we have to support that action?” he hit out at Lokman on his Facebook page.
“Take for example the Rembia state assemblyman who contested on a BN (Barisan Nasional) ticket but campaigned in support of the opposing party or voted in favour of the opposing party in the state assembly. Wouldn’t that be a political frog to you given that he still remains as an UMNO member?”
For context, Bersatu has been enraged by Tan Sri Johari Abdul’s decision to maintain status quo the position of six renegade Bersatu MPs when the former eagerly wants the turncoat MPs to vacate their seats, thus paving way for by-elections to be held.
The six Bersatu MPs who have their party memberships revoked recently for supporting Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim are Datuk Syed Abu Hussin Hafiz Syed Abdul Fasal (Bukit Gantang), Zahari Kechik (Jeli), Mohd Azizi Abu Naim (Gua Musang), Datuk Iskandar Dzulkarnain Abdul Khalid (Kuala Kangsar), Datuk Zulkafperi Hanafi (Tanjong Karang) and Suhaili Abdul Rahman (Labuan).
In addition to the six MPs, the lone Selat Kelang state assemblyman who has also expressed support for the Selangor star government under Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari is Datuk Abdul Rashid Asari.
In the contention of the Melaka state EXCO for Rural Development, Agriculture and Food Security, regardless if the person who supports another party after winning under the ticket of his party leaves his party or stay put, such act still constitutes party hopping and he should be deemed a political frog.
“Like Lokman himself in the past who originated from PKR but eventually hopped into UMMO, that was an act of a political frog, too, but because he contested the election and lost, the Anti-Party Hopping Act didn’t apply to him,” teased the Russian-trained medical practitioner as he lives up to his “King of Boycott” moniker.
“When there is a difference of opinion, he (Lokman) accused others of being the spokesman of another party … this is the level of brainless people who make people hate politicians. Keep up being stupid, my dear Lokman Adam, because the people are not stupid; the only stupid person here is you who is brainless!” – July 14, 2024
