AMID ongoing political horse-trading to form a multi-coalition government as a result of a hung Parliament, former de facto law minister Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said hopes the rakyat will one day have a say on “coalition-hopping”.
The soon-to-be-sworn-in UMNO Pengerang MP said the outcome of yesterday’s (Nov 19) 15th General Elections (GE15) should not be focused on which party, coalition or individual wins.
“Instead, this general election, like every other, should be about the voters – their voice, their choice and what they want to see in the coming days for Malaysia by choosing their elected representatives,” she said in a statement today.
Azalina, who is also Barisan Nasional’s (BN) democracy and law task force head, made reference to the anti-party hopping law, which serves as a guarantee of stability to voters whereby the individuals they elect in GE15 will face consequences should they decide to defect or “hop”.
She noted that the newly-gazetted law only addresses individual MPs who hop from one party to another and is silent on political parties that decide to move from one bloc or coalition to another.
“I sincerely hope that the new government will push for the anti-party hopping law to include recall elections, thus giving voters the power to decide if any movement, whether individual or en bloc, is legitimate on a case-by-case basis,” she said.
“Voters should always be given the right to decide in our democratic system.”
Meanwhile, Azalina, who successfully retained her Pengerang seat for the fifth term (albeit with a lower majority than what she got in the last polls), thanked voters for coming out to vote for her.
“I take the mandate and trust given to me very seriously and I will continue to prioritise your interests and concerns,” she pledged.
“Winning not the goal”
Azalina said as elected representatives, the “win” is not the goal.
“We now have work to do to serve the people and do the work it takes for stability and continuous improvement in our current legal and executive systems – through reforms, developing new laws, amending old laws where need be and addressing issues that affect each Malaysian through action and not just words,” she said.
“I am looking forward to the work that lies ahead and hope that elected representatives from both sides of the aisle, chosen by the voters, will work together to achieve the common goal of a stable, peaceful and prosperous Malaysia,” she added.
Parliament is currently hung as no single party or coalition won the 112 seats required for a simple majority.
Pakatan Harapan (PH) has the most number of seats so far (82), followed by Perikatan Nasional/PN (73), Barisan Nasional/BN (30) and “kingmaker” Gabungan Parti Sarawak/GPS (22).
Meanwhile, PN leaders Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin and Tan Sri Abdul Hadi Awang have met with Sarawak Premier-cum-GPS chairman Tan Sri Abang Johari Openg to discuss working together to wrest over Putrajaya.
In a tweet this afternoon, Muhyiddin added that negotiations are also being held with other parties and independent MPs, and expressed hope that a federal government can be formed soon. – Nov 20, 2022
Main photo credit: Bernama
