IT is still up for debate whether Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri’s government is sincere in the implementation of the anti-hopping bill or not.
This bill was something crucial as to why the Government and the Opposition signed the memorandum of understanding (MOU) last year.
I understand that some members of the Government are sincere and want to push ahead with the bill with the amendment to the Constitution.
There are, however, some people within the Government who are not in favour of the bill and are giving ridiculous excuses to derail its implementation, including raising concerns about the unclear definition of the term “party hopping”, among others.
With the general election around the corner, there is a belief that such a legislation if passed might make it difficult for party members to cross over to other component parties of the government coalition.
It serves no purpose to say at the last moment that while the government is sincere it was prevented from moving forward with the bill due to resistance from certain quarters.
But there is nothing in the MOU to suggest that the passing of this legislation is conditional upon the Government getting the support of all the MPs.
In other words, it is not for the Opposition to worry about whether the Government has the support or not.
If the government cannot muster the required support, then it must be made known to the Opposition.
If the anti-hopping bill is not going see daylight, then the Opposition, as was promised, should pull out from the MOU – there are no two ways about it.
The MOU serves no purpose if the anti-hopping bill cannot be passed in Parliament.
I am not sure when the Opposition had taken on the role of being sympathetic towards the Government and I very much doubt that the reverse is true.
Under normal circumstances, as far as the Government is concerned, a good opposition is a dead opposition.
Being understanding or sympathetic towards the Government is not helpful to the MOU.
As per the MOU, it is the duty and responsibility of the Government to get the anti-hopping bill through Parliament via a constitutional amendment.
The Government does not care about the Opposition so why should the latter worry about the former?
Let us not indulge in games as the anti-hopping bill is a serious matter to put an end to the infamous “frog culture”.
If the Government cannot get the cooperation of its MPs, then what is the point of having the Government in the first place? More importantly, what is the point of having the MOU?
There is a famous Tamil proverb that says that the sheep should not feel sad upon seeing the wolf getting wet in the rain.
Once the rain stops, the sheep should realise the actual target of the wolf.
The Opposition should not feel sad upon seeing the Government being divided on the matter of the anti-hopping bill because once the dust settles the line between friend and foe will be clearly demarcated.
Perhaps it is a blessing in disguise to end the MOU once and for all as it is wrong to have trusted the Government in the first place. – April 8, 2022
Prof Ramasamy Palanisamy is the state assemblyperson for Perai. He is also deputy chief minister II of Penang.
The views expressed are solely of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Focus Malaysia.
