THE four Bersatu MPs who declared support for Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s unity government will not be the last from the party to do so before the next general election unless Bersatu takes steps to address this issue, said analysts.
A Malay Mail report said a leadership crisis in the party is likely the cause behind the recent series of defections involving Kuala Kangsar MP Datuk Iskandar Dzulkarnain Abdul Khalid, Labuan MP Datuk Suhaili Abdul Rahman, Gua Musang MP Mohd Azizi Abu Naim, and Jeli MP Zahari Kechik.
According to Nusantara Academy for Strategic Research senior fellow Prof Dr Azmi Hassan, more Bersatu MPs were gauging the reaction to the recent “defections” before deciding if they should follow suit.
“(Using) lack of allocation (as an excuse), I think, it’s a good camouflage for these four,” the English daily reported Azmi as saying.
“I think that’s the reason that the negative impact on these four is very, very minimum. Why I said this is a camouflage because the real reason why these four particular for MPs made their decision is because their loss of confidence toward the leadership of Bersatu.”
Azmi further noted that through his observations on the ground, Bersatu – and the Perikatan Nasional (PN) coalition – currently appeared to be “rudderless”.
He said Azmi added that some Bersatu MPs were starting to see dimming prospects in remaining with PN as the coalition did not appear to have a strategy to be an effective Opposition or a distinct objective beyond gaining control of the federal government.
Recall that while former prime minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin is the Bersatu president and PN chairman, party secretary-general Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin was named as the federal Opposition leader.
“So, this loss of confidence, I think, needs to be handled rather quickly so that it won’t spread to other MPs. But I’m sure there are other MPs who will follow after the four,” Azmi remarked.
Loophole in anti-hopping law
Meanwhile, Universiti Malaya political analyst Mohammad Tawfik Yaakub reckoned that the party leadership’s inability to punish the four MPs for “hopping” over to the government bloc would embolden others to do the same.
While the actions of the four lawmakers were considered party-hopping, the constitutional amendment passed last year to prohibit political defections included a loophole that allows a lawmaker to retain their seat if they switch allegiances without quitting their party.
It was previously reported that when the draft in the anti-hopping bill was presented to the then Law Minister Tan Sri Dr Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar, it contained a provision to declare a seat vacant if an MP had gone against the party stance or failed to comply with the party whip in Parliament.
However, Bersatu was against the clause and it was subsequently removed from the bill when it was tabled in Dewan Rakyat.
“PN will face a decline in strength and they will be further from their ambition to take control of the country,” Tawfik was reported as saying.
Tawfik further noted that PN was unlikely to be able to offer anything to convince would-be defectors from going through, as the coalition did not have the resources to compete.
“Whoever has the power must have an advantage, in the political context of PN and Muhyiddin today, they do not have the advantage and power to make a lucrative offer,” he opined.
“So, I see that it is difficult for Muhyiddin to offer anything more profitable without having the power and position as government.”
Tawfik added that as long as there is no amendment to the anti-party hopping law, the act of throwing support for an opposing party will continue.
“I believe that the act of expressing support as done by the four Bersatu MPs can be repeated at any time.
“I don’t see any attraction that Bersatu can offer for MPs who expressed their support (to the prime minister), to return to the party in the near future,” he said. – Nov 15, 2023
Main pic credit: Bernama
