At a meeting of heads of departments in Penang one day in the mid-1960s, then chief minister Wong Pow Nee was discussing education and job creation when he asked a rhetorical question: “Do you know what is the one job that does not need any qualification?”
Wong, known to be a pleasant and efficient administrator, went on to say the job of politician was the only one where qualification did not matter. “Anyone can become a politician. I was only a school teacher and today I am chief minister.”
This was told to me by then deputy Penang chief education officer Dr I Lourdesamy who was representing the education department at that meeting.
Wong’s words come to mind as I read about politicians jumping from one party to another – again.
I had thought that with Malaysians facing the threat of Covid-19, and with government and opposition politicians calling on all citizens to focus on fighting it, this other deadly disease stalking the nation would cease temporarily.
But no, party-hopping continues. Once again our politicians have proven that they’ll jump the good jump whether the nation is under threat or not.
While the SARS-CoV-2 virus jumps from one person to another, some politicians hop from one party to another, in the process betraying the trust of the people who elected them.
On Feb 28, prime minister and PPBM president Muhyiddin Yassin announced that two PKR federal lawmakers – Larry Sng (Julau MP) and Steven Choong (Tebrau MP) – had defected to the ruling Perikatan Nasional.
A friend asked me: “How come the prime minister has time to indulge in politics when he has the tough job of leading the nation in the battle against Covid-19?” I had no answer.
I have heard the following two theories for party hopping, especially if elected representatives are jumping from an opposition party to a ruling party: one, they have been bought over and two, they have been intimidated into joining by the threat of prosecution or harassment from government enforcement agencies.
Talk is that millions of ringgit passes hands. In fact, Warisan president Shafie Apdal claimed his party members were offered “millions” to defect. Yesterday, opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim claimed he had received information that the two PKR MPs who quit to throw their support for Muhyiddin had been offered “millions”.
If this is true, it means that to become a millionaire in Malaysia, you don’t have to work hard: just stand in an election, win and then wait for the opportune moment to cross-over to the party that offers the most.
Ah! If I’d only known this when I was much younger.
Charges that government agencies are used to intimidate politicians to cross-over to the ruling party have come from no less a person than former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad. Even Anwar said yesterday that the defectors might have been “pressured” by the actions of government agencies.
I suppose Mahathir and Anwar, who were in government before, ought to know how the government operates.
But, then, where’s the proof for such claims?
What makes the Malaysian hopping scenario somewhat bizarre is that politicians of parties in the same coalition jump to other parties within that coalition. An outsider will have difficulty digesting the news that three of Amanah’s Johor assemblymen crossed-over to PKR this week when both parties are part of the Pakatan Harapan coalition.
It’s incomprehensible.
Some may sarcastically say “Malaysia Boleh” to all this, but we must not forget that there are many elected representatives who hold themselves up to a higher moral code. We should appreciate those who don’t jump parties by voting them in again in the next general election.
The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of FMT.