MoU with govt meaningless if PH accepts Melaka 4, warns Ramkarpal

 

The memorandum of understanding between Pakatan Harapan and the government last month included proposals for electoral reforms. (Bernama pic)

PETALING JAYA: The push by Pakatan Harapan (PH) for electoral reforms especially the anti-hopping law will be meaningless if the opposition accepts any of the “Melaka 4” as candidates, DAP MP Ramkarpal Singh said today.

He said PH will certainly lose its credibility in the eyes of the public if the four Melaka assemblymen were allowed to stand under its banner, adding that it was because of such defectors that the coalition had lost power last year.

The four are former chief minister Idris Haron, Nor Azman Hassan, Noor Effendi Ahmad and Norhizam Hassan Baktee. Idris and Nor Azman were Umno members and Noor Effendi was previously with Bersatu. Norhizam won his seat on a DAP ticket in 2018 but later declared himself an independent who backed the Umno-led Melaka state government.

The Bukit Gelugor MP said PH inked the memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the government because the opposition wants electoral reforms to bring about clean and honest politics.

“One of the main reasons for signing the MoU was to see the implementation of reforms. So PH now has an opportunity to show that it is dead serious in seeing them materialise by rejecting all four.

“The fate of the quartet ought to be decided by the voters in the coming state election and PH cannot be seen to be complicit by accepting them as PH may also be punished in the next general election (GE15).

“It is hoped that party hopping will become a thing of the past once the anti-hopping laws are in place with amendments to the Federal Constitution for the purpose,” he said in a statement.

In a statement following the PH presidential council meeting on Thursday, it was announced that Norhizam will not be named as a candidate.

Norhizam quit the party after the Sheraton Move in February 2021, leading to the fall of the then Melaka PH government led by Adly Zahari from Amanah.

On the other three members of the “Melaka 4”, the presidential council said it received the views of all parties on this matter but no decision had been made yet.

The four Melaka assemblymen retracted their support for Sulaiman Md Ali’s state government, prompting the chief minister to advise state Governor Mohd Ali Rustam to dissolve the state assembly.

Melaka goes to the polls on Nov 20 with early voting taking place from Nov 16, while the nomination day has been set for Nov 8.

The Election Commission said 495,196 voters are eligible to vote. - FMT