Internal govt politics on anti-hopping bill no concern of the opposition

 

From P Ramasamy

Whether the government of Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob is sincere or not in the implementation of the anti-hopping bill remains to be seen.

This bill was something crucial as to why the government and the opposition signed the memorandum of understanding (MoU) last year.

I undestand that some members of the government are sincere and want to push ahead with the bill with the amendment to the Constitution.

But there are some within the government who are not in favour of the bill, giving a variety of reasons, including the definition of terms and others.

It doesn’t take rocket science to fathom that there are those in the government who want the anti-hopping bill to be derailed.

With the general election around the corner, there is a belief that such a legislation, if passed, might make it difficult for other party members to cross over to some component parties of the government coalition.

It serves no purpose to say at the last moment the government is sincere but prevented from moving forward due to resistance from some sections.

But there is nothing in the MoU to suggest that passing this legislation is conditional upon the government getting the support of all the MPs.

It is not for the opposition to worry about whether the government has the support or not.

If the government cannot muster the required support, then it must be made known to the opposition.

If the anti-hopping bill is not going to see daylight as was promised, then the opposition should pull out from the MoU.

There are no two ways about it.

The MoU serves no purpose if the anti-hopping bill cannot be passed in Parliament.

I am not sure when the opposition took on the role of being sympathetic towards the government.

I doubt the reverse is true.

Under normal circumstances, as far as the government is concerned, a good opposition is a dead opposition.

Being understanding or sympathetic to the government is not helpful to the MoU.

As per the MoU, it is the duty and responsibility of the government to get the anti-hopping bill through Parliament via a constitutional amendment.

It is not for the opposition to worry whether the government has the necessary support or not.

The government does not care about the opposition, why should the latter worry about the former?

Let us not indulge in games as the anti-hopping bill is a serious matter to put an end to the infamous “frog culture”.

If the government cannot get the cooperation of its MPs, then what is the point of having the government in the first place in general, and the existence of the MoU in particular?

There is a famous Tamil proverb that says that the sheep should not feel sad upon seeing the wolf getting wet in the rain.

Once the rain stops, the sheep should realise the actual target of the wolf.

The opposition should not feel sad upon seeing the government being derailed on the matter of the anti-hopping bill.

Once the anti-hopping bill dust settles down, the lines between friends and enemies will be clearly demarcated.

Maybe it is a blessing in disguise to end the MoU once and for all. It is wrong to have trusted the government in the first place. - FMT

P Ramasamy is Penang deputy chief minister II

The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of MMKtT.