Where were you before May 9 polls, Ramkarpal asks Umno 40

PETALING JAYA: Bukit Gelugor MP Ramkarpal Singh today called for an end to the culture of accepting political crossovers, amid talk that 40 MPs may jump ship from Umno to PPBM.

Calling such an act a betrayal of voters, he asked why Pakatan Harapan (PH) would discuss the matter at its presidential council meeting this Saturday.

“Surely there are more important things to talk about,” he said in a statement.

On Oct 27, PPBM Supreme Council member A Kadir Jasin said 40 MPs from Umno might quit the party and join the PH component group led by Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

He said the MPs had met top leaders in PPBM including Mahathir and party president Muhyiddin Yassin.

Muhyiddin confirmed that several Umno MPs had met him, but refused to say how many. Mahathir meanwhile said strict conditions had been imposed for anyone seeking to switch sides, including serving a stint as an independent before applying to become a PPBM member.

However, Ramkarpal said before the May 9 polls, Umno had ridiculed opposition members and threatened them “with the might of the law”.

He said even Mahathir was labelled as a traitor and his wife, Siti Hasmah Mohd Ali, put through police interrogation.

“No doubt, it might be said that not all in Umno are like that, only its leaders. But what did the rest of its members and MPs do when their leaders ran riot? Not a hint of protest or objection.

“These so-called Umno 40 did nothing to stop the rot of the country when they were in power despite probably knowing all along that their leaders were running it down to the ground.

“And today we want to accept them?”

Ramkarpal, who is chairman of DAP’s national legal bureau, said accepting crossovers, especially from Umno, would give the impression that there was a dearth of talent in PH, and that PH leaders were desperate to fill the void.

“Or perhaps it’s a numbers game in that there is a need to boost our membership to appeal to the masses in order to enhance our chances of retaining Putrajaya in GE15 or to consolidate our power in Parliament.”

If this were the case, he said, accepting Umno crossovers into PH would be a sure way to lose Putrajaya in the next polls.

“Politicians will have their own reasons for encouraging crossovers to suit their agenda, but the ordinary Joe on the street would certainly be wondering what hit him if PH looked like Umno in a few months as that wasn’t what he signed up for.”