The government’s unholy haste to enact a law to prevent by-elections it deems “unnecessary” and impose fines of RM100,000 on those who quit wakil rakyat positions and force by-elections, is appalling and an insult to freedom and democracy.
Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz’s definition of ‘unnecessary’ is vague and gives the impression the new laws are meant to preserve BN dominance under whatever scenerio.
Nazri’s view is a follow up to the Election Commission Deputy Chairman Datuk Wan Ahmad Wan Omar’s suggestion that the election law must be changed to prevent what he claimed to be “unnecessary” by-elections.
When Umno and BN keeps getting whipped in a series of by elections in the past year, BN leaders are resigned to the fact BN will lose with a greater margin in the Penanti by-election and other by-elections in future.
For many years DAP and other concerned Malaysians have been promoting anti-hopping laws to prevent wakil rakyat from jumping parties, and that anyone who wishes to do so must vacate the seat to make way for a fresh election or by-election.
The proposal was rejected by former Barisan Nasional leaders such as Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad. Instead, typical of Mahathir’s anti-democratic practices, he enacted a law to bar those who resigned as MP or State Assembly member from standing again for re-election for five years.
Neither his successor Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi nor Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak dared to amend or abolish this provision that infringed on the rights of a *wakil rakyat*.
When Barisan Nasional suffered losses in the general election and began to worry about its *wakil rakyat* leaving the coalition to join Pakatan Rakyat, only then did the government reluctantly look at anti-hop laws.
But when three Pakatan State Assembly members in Perak switched sides to enable Barisan Nasional to form an illegitimate state government, the BN leaders were silent on the need for an anti-hopping law. Such a desperate act from desperate leaders.
Najib’s “1Malaysia” slogan of People First, Performance Now is a farce and a betrayal’s of the people’s trust.
The proposed unnecessary law may well make Malaysia the first country in the world to have unjust rules to punish elected representatives who resign their seats.
shame on BN! it is just another dirty trick of BN to save their own face for not being defeated continuously in by-elections. BN no b*lls 😛
In losing ‘big’ in four out of five recent by-elections in the country, BN is paranoid to lose again in another by-election in the state seat of Penanti in Penang which many political analysts predict the outcome will most probably go to Pakatan Rakyat. With internal squabblings in Peanag UMNO and Penanti being opposition stronghold, BN contemplating not contesting in Penanti is a cowardice act and gives a lot of excuses about holding unnecessary by-elections like imposing fines to the tune of RM100,000. If BN has no intention of joining in the fray in the by-election, why the hoo-ha? Others can contest. This is parliamentary democracy!
The Election Commission (EC) should remain neutral and not be partisan to BN in wanting to penalise those wakil rakyat who intend to resign for special and specific reasons. After all, we are in a free country and we pratise parliamentary democracy!
BN and UMNO in particular, are scared stiff at challenging PKR. The rakyat has had enough of their misdeeds and double talk. They know they will be thrashed by the rakyat in any future by-elections.
And now, all of a sudden, out come this desperado Nazri and his running stooge, the EC Deputy Chairman, both have nothing much better to do than proposing stupid and anti-democratic laws to prevent what they claimed to be “unnecessary” by-elections.
From our rep Teresa comments above, these desperados are not only trying all means, be it undemocratic or how downright stupid they are, to keep themselves in power.
Instead, these bums should be focusing on the anti-hop law. But,alas, I can guarantee that they will not, I repeat WILL NOT do anything because they have 3 ugly, greedy and almost zero integrity froggies jumping up and down inside their dens.
1Malaysia or for that matter Malaysia1 as proposed by our new “great” leader does not hold any water as long as we have bums like these running the country.
This is Bolehland.