Pakatan Harapan will lose credibility if it were to accept the four assemblymen who caused the Malacca government to fall, which must be avoided at all costs, having regard to its commitment to table anti party hopping laws pursuant to the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that it recently signed with the government.
Many have criticised the possibility of PH accepting these assemblymen and they are absolutely right in doing so.
It would be incongruous for PH to accept the said four and at the same time push for such anti-hopping laws, be it in the form of recall elections or outright anti-hopping laws.
Since such anti hopping laws are currently not in place in the country, the quartet can stand as independents in the coming state elections but allowing them to contest under the PH banner will thwart PH’s efforts to implement such laws as this will provide ample fodder to those who oppose such laws to condemn PH and perhaps renegade from their promise for such a reform as part of the MOU.
One of the main reasons in signing the MOU was to see the implementation of reforms and PH now has an opportunity to show that it is dead serious in seeing them materialise by rejecting the said four assemblymen.
The fate of the quartet ought to be decided by the Rakyat in the coming state elections and PH cannot be seen to be complicit in their actions by accepting them as this can be to PH’s detriment in the coming general elections as well.
It is hoped that party hopping will become a thing of the past with the passing of anti-hopping laws and amendments to the Federal Constitution for the purpose very soon.
PH must take all steps in ensuring this happens, and not jeopardise it instead by accepting the said four assemblymen.