PKR punishing ‘renegade’ lawmakers? PJ, Subang Jaya MPs query their blocked MyKhas access

 

THE term “keadilan” translates to “justice”, “fairness” and “equity”. That it is part of PKR’s moniker which should mean that those values are central to the party’s manifesto.

Not so according to two MPs who have felt the wrath of the powers-that-be in the party.

First, it was Subang Jaya lawmaker Wong Chen who found that his access to the MyKhas funding portal blocked.

The service disruption was discovered on May 20 at 12 noon when his officer attempted to upload several PMR (Projek Mesra Rakyat) funding applications for schools within the Subang parliamentary constituency.

“It has now been more than 10 days since my parliamentary office was denied access to the MyKhas Portal,” lamented the 57-year-old three-term lawmaker (one- term Kelana Jaya and two term Subang).

“Despite multiple official communications, including hand-delivered letters to both ICU JPM (Implementation Coordination Unit under the Prime Minister’s Department) Selangor and Putrajaya, no official written explanation has been provided with access to the portal yet to be restored.”

Hot on the heels of this episode comes another case that has put PKR in a less than flattering light.

“The PJ Parliament Office can no longer access its MyKhas system since May 29, thus causing matters related to area allocation and the People-Friendly Project (PMR) cannot continue as usual,” declared the former two-term Semambu state assemblyman in Pahang prior to his ‘migration’ to the Klang Valley.

However, to my knowledge, this may be the first time in the history of the country that two consecutive government MPs no longer have access to area allocation channels.

I’m still a MP supporting the unity government. I‘ve never announced leaving the government bloc nor have I ever voted against the government in Parliament.

I stick to the same principle. I’ll continue to carry out the mandate given by the people and carry out the responsibility as a MP until the end of this Parliament’s term.

If this decision is related to my presence at the launching ceremony of the new party (BERSAMA) led by (Datuk Seri) Rafizi Ramli and Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad on May 17, then the party leadership should provide a clear and open explanation.

If my actions are considered to violate party discipline, disloyal to the party or affect the interests of the party, then due process must be carried out.

Warning letters can be issued, show cause letters can be requested, even disciplinary investigations can also be conducted according to the designated channels.

That the PKR communications director’s Facebook post has since generated 1.3K likes, 498 comments and 273 shares at time of publication denote that such strong-arm tactics have not gone unnoticed.

Needless to say, such bureaucratic bullying was not viewed positively by members of the voting public. One commenter warned that this incident will be remembered by the rakyat at the next polls.

One politically astute observer claimed that PKR was no longer the party of reform that it had promised to be.

That “nepotism and poor leadership management have compromised its core values” would explain the shift in support towards alternate parties, namely the newly-minted BERSAMA.

Reflecting that ultimately it is the rakyat who pays the price for the  political shenanigans of elected reps and their respective parties, an irate citizen queried, “What sort of government is this?”

However, those who recognised the Realpolitik scenario wondered just why did the PJ lawmaker see fit to attend the launch event of a rival political entity. Did he forget which party he was attached to? Did he not think there would be consequences?

One even cited leakage of privileged info as justification for freezing out the PKR MPs who could sabotage the party.

At the end of the day, both aggrieved MPs are questioning why due process is NOT being followed if they are indeed being punished for being perceived as renegades.

As Lee openly stated on his FB missive, “is being loud dissenting voices within the party now a reason for rebuke?”

“If this is a political decision, state why publicly. If this is an act of discipline, follow the process accordingly. If it’s only a technical issue, then solve it immediately,” he demanded.

However, the mood following these political manoeuvring was less than positive with more than a few warning that change was impending at the next polls.

PKR take note – warning signs are already there. –  Focus Malaysia