Mat Sabu, Maria Chin, And Other Leaders Voice Their Disapproval Over Backdoor Government
The leaders reminded Pakatan Harapan to respect the rakyat's mandate.
By Yap Wan Xiang — 24 Feb 2020, 02:04 PM
After a series of political maneuver yesterday, 23 February, several leaders in the Pakatan Harapan coalition have spoken against the alleged move to change the political realignment in the government
It was reported on Sunday that Bersatu, UMNO, 10 MPs from a PKR splinter faction aligned to Azmin Ali, PAS, Amanah, Warisan, and GPS were said to have formed an alliance in a move to create the new government of the day.
The alleged new coalition reportedly has the support of over 130 Members of Parliament (MPs), enough to form a new government.
Speculations are rife that the coup to form a backdoor government will materialise soon after almost a year of rumours on the subject.
However, several MPs from the ruling government have spoken against the move
Among those is Amanah president Mohamad Sabu.
Free Malaysia Today reported Mohamad Sabu, or more popularly known as Mat Sabu, said that UMNO and PAS should wait until the next general election to join the ruling government.
According to him, UMNO and PAS should follow good democratic practices and not "enter by the window or backdoor" to form the government.
The Amanah president went on to exemplify that PAS had repeatedly tried to join the ruling government in the past, such as during the administrations of former Prime Ministers - Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and Datuk Seri Najib Razak.
Mat Sabu, who is also the Defence Minister, added that Barisan Nasional had secured several by-election victories while serving as the opposition and contended that if the party is confident that they could be make a comeback, they should wait a full term.
When asked if Amanah would join Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir's alleged new coalition, Mat Sabu refused to comment.
Amanah has 11 seats in the Parliament, a sizeable amount to decide whether the alleged bipartisan coalition can form a new government.
The former chairperson of electoral reform coalition Bersih 2.0, Maria Chin Abdullah, has also spoken against the move to form a new government
Maria, who is also Petaling Jaya MP, said PH should remember the rakyat's mandate that led the coalition into victory in the 14th General Election.
In an interview with Malaysiakini, she assured that she will not leave PKR. This came after she was spotted at Sheraton Hotel in Petaling Jaya yesterday, where several closed-door meetings were held.
"PH was given this trust by the rakyat on the premise that we are a united coalition of four equal parties plus Warisan, with Dr Mahathir Mohamad as our prime minister and Anwar Ibrahim as his successor," she said in a statement today, 24 February.
She went on to say that if reorganisation of the coalition is necessary, a consensus among the PH parties must be achieved, or else it will run the risk of going against the people's will.
Amanah Kedah Chairman Datuk Dr Ismail Salleh and PKR MP Abdullah Sani Abdul have also voiced their disgust over the issue
Dr Ismail said the personal agenda of leaders in the opposition and the PH coalition is the cause of the current political landscape, reported Berita Harian.
According to him, if a PH leader disagrees on something, they should listen to the people's mandate by contesting in the next general election rather than trying to form a government of their own.
Kapar MP Abdullah Sani Abdul Hamid echoed the same, reported Free Malaysia Today.
The PKR member described Azmin Ali as a "betrayer" for trying to form a backdoor government, saying that those aligned with the latter will be punished by the people who voted for them.
