I HAVE been personally involved in politics for more than 20 years and over this period, I have seen numerous developments, including the setting up of many new political parties.
Leaving one party for another or better known as leap-frogging is nothing new in politics. For some, they do it because of certain benefits they were promised, but for others, including me, we leave a particular party for another for several reasons.
For one, we may have lost all faith in the party leadership and feel the party no longer has any direction. Over the years, the party leaders become disillusioned, lose focus and begin fighting for their personal gains.
Another reason is for many, we realise that there is no future with a particular party and people who want to sincerely work for the rakyat are not given an opportunity. Chances to contest are reserved for the cronies of certain leaders in the party though they are undeserving and have done nothing for the rakyat.
So, it is therefore not right to label a politician a traitor just because he or she leaves a party … we must look at the reasons behind the move and his or her sincerity in serving the people.
For me personally, I left my political party to join Parti Bangsa Malaysia (PBM) not because anyone offered me anything, but purely because I had lost all faith in the leadership of my former party.
To me, it seemed like the party chief was fighting for his own personal agenda and lost focus of what the party in its entirety stood for.
In our politics, we must realise that many leaders have in the past left their old parties to be able to better serve the people and the country.
I decided on PBM for a number of reasons. For one, the party’s six core pillars – multiracial engagement, women’s empowerment, youth empowerment, economic development, education and the advancement of science and technology appealed to me and to my son, who is a youth member of the party.
Parti Bangsa Malaysia: Multiracial in practice
Also, we were looking for a truly multi-racial party which included members from both east and west Malaysia, and not merely masquerading as one.
The fact that PBM is led by a non-Muslim from Sarawak is something different and the party is well represented by all races, including East Malaysians.
My son opted for PBM as opposed to other political parties also because it strongly emphasised women and youth representation.
It is sincerely time for the old faces to make way for the new generation of leaders who are full of ideas and have a vision for the future of the country.Also, this country is in need of greater women representation which is something PBM also places emphasis on.
PBM wants to ensure that we remain truly multiracial, a party for all the people of all races and not for certain select individuals.
To me, it is pointless for us to continue pointing fingers and labelling PBM without giving it a chance to prove itself.
Some of the political parties in the country have been around for decades and yet, have done nothing to prove their worthiness or credibility to the rakyat.
We are committed to remain a strong multi-racial party with equal representation from all and are aligned to the Government of the day, led by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob.
For now, our focus will remain on doing our best to make the lives of our people better and to position ourselves as a strong, truly multi-racial political party in the country.
We do not want to engage in rebutting baseless accusations by those out to discredit PBM without even understanding what PBM is all about. – Jan 11, 2022.
Rizalman Hamid Kusman is member of Parti Bangsa Malaysia, Penang chapter
The views expressed are solely of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Focus Malaysia.
