Party-hopping: When principles are set aside for political expediency

Birds of a feather flock together, the adage says. But there is also one which declares that fools seldom differ.

As a Sabahan, it has given me great pleasure to see the “frogging culture” among politicians implode in the peninsula.

For so long, Sabahan politicians were laughed at and mocked for frogging from one party to another after a state or general election. Worse, people from the peninsula were quick to ask the question of ordinary folk like me: what is wrong with you Sabahans? We were a disease, apparently. A disease that only Sabah produced with no hope of any immunisation.

To be fair, Pairin Kitingan and PBS passed an anti-hopping law in the state assembly to put an end to such practices. It was, however, challenged by the late Mustapha Harun and the Federal Court ruled that it was ultra vires to the Federal Constitution because it went against the freedom of association.

This opened the floodgates for Umno to establish a foothold in Sabah as all Usno elected representatives hopped over to Umno. From then on, there was no turning back.

(Frogging in Sabah, however, actually took root after the 1967 state election when the late Payar Jumaan crossed over from Upko to Usno.)

Today, the idea of introducing an anti-hopping law in Malaysia is being floated. Some, including senator Lee Tian Sing, have suggested that it is high time this law was introduced so that the electorate will not be cheated of their voting power and rights.

Others, like Sabah Chief Minister Shafie Apdal of Warisan, say such a law should not be introduced because it violates the Federal Constitution.

Shafie, of course, was a beneficiary of such frogging practices by Upko which saw him installed as the chief minister. This could well come back to haunt him and his Warisan-led government if and when PPBM sets foot in Sabah.

Given the real fear of this happening, Warisan secretary-general Loretto S Padua has seen fit to remind PPBM chairman and Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad and PPBM of their pre-election promise to stay away from Sabah.

Unfortunately and ultimately, if it is the wish of Sabahans to see the entry of PPBM in Sabah for whatever reason, such promises can be broken. After all, promise after promise has already been broken for one reason or another by the Pakatan Harapan government. It would be just another day in the office.

The likes of Wee Ka Siong of MCA can make all the noise they want about the ethics of frogging. Yet, when Hiew King Cheu of DAP defected to MCA after winning the Luyang state seat, there was pin-drop silence from Wee and MCA. Quite simply put, those who live in glass houses should never throw stones.

PKR president Anwar Ibrahim has also found himself in the same boat. While he claims that PKR will reject ex-Umno representatives even if they wish to join PKR, he conveniently forgot to mention that PKR in Sabah accepted Osman Jamal of Umno into the fold after he won the Balung seat on a Barisan Nasional ticket.

Is there any need, therefore, to take a stand on frogging from one party to another and sound like you believe in principles, ethical practices, good morals and serving the people and not yourselves? I think not.

After all, fools seldom differ, don’t they?

Clement Stanley is an FMT reader.