Both party hoppers and PH get a slamming

It's a question of morals, says legal expert Shad Faruqi.

Constitutional law expert Shad Saleem Faruqi says there are more ethical ways to handle the question of party hoppers than to simply accept them into the fold. (Facebook pic)

PETALING JAYA: Constitutional law expert Shad Saleem Faruqi has denounced Barisan Nasional (BN) representatives who have hopped out of the coalition as well as Pakatan Harapan (PH) for accepting them, saying both sides have shown disregard for universally accepted standards of morality.

Faruqi joins several commentators who have spoken against the defections, including political analyst Andrew Aeria, who described the defectors as traitors to their party as well as to the people who voted for them.

“Hopping from one party to another is a despicable thing and it reflects very poorly on the MPs and assemblymen,” said Faruqi. “It’s as though they don’t have any principles and as though they have no loyalties except to money and themselves.”

Turning to PH, he said he was appalled that the coalition had failed to see how unethical it was to accept into its fold representatives who were elected on a rival ticket.

He said an ethical way of handling the situation would have been to tell the defectors to help PH achieve its objectives while remaining outside the organisation.

“Tell them you don’t want them in the party, but they’re most welcome to support you in the Dewan Rakyat. Or tell them to become independent representatives. And then, if they want to support you, they can apply for membership in your party.”

He acknowledged that there could be circumstances justifying party hopping, such as when Britain’s Winston Churchill left the Conservative Party in 1904 and joined the Liberals because he could not agree to the imposition of protectionist tariffs.

“But to go into the election wearing one hat and then put on another hat after the election – that is immoral.”

He would not speculate on whether there would be enough party hoppers to give PH two-thirds of the majority in Parliament, but if this were to happen, he said, a significant consequence is that the government will have the ability to amend the Federal Constitution”. -FMT