ALOR STAR: Kedah PKR will back the dissolution of the state assembly in the event of a defection among Pakatan Rakyat state representatives the next time.
Kedah PKR election director Johari Abdul said the party state leadership had pledged full support to Menteri Besar Azizan Abdul Razak to hold a snap state election in such a political scenario.
He said PKR and Pakatan would not allow Umno and Barisan Nasional to keep enticing the state ruling coalition assemblymen to defect and become independent representatives.
“We can no longer allow Umno and BN to continue to undermine the state administration and manipulate the political composition in the assembly.
“There is time. This must be stop and can be stopped,” said Johari, the Sungai Petani parliamentarian.
In wake of the latest defection by Bakar Arang assemblyman Tan Wei Shu from PKR in mid-April, Azizan had told a Pakatan meeting that he would advise the Sultan to dissolve assembly and call for a snap election if there was a sign of another defection from Pakatan.
He had particularly stressed his intention to three remaining PKR representatives, Tan Joon Long @ Tan Chow Kang (Sidam), S Manikumar (Bukit Selambau) and Lim Soo Nee (Kulim), who are all state executive councillors in his administration.
It’s learnt PKR supremo Anwar Ibrahim had been notified about this.
Johari, who is PKR supreme council member, insisted that Azizan’s stand was not a mere political threat but a clear warning to Umno and BN to drop the idea to usurp the state administration via the back door.
He said BN had been persistently wooing Pakatan representatives to seize control the Kedah government.
“We are aware BN won’t stop engineering defections until it captures the state government,” he said.
But, he said BN should know by now that it would not succeed in regaining the government through defections, ala Perak style.
He said BN would be forced to go through public balloting process to earn legitimate rule in Kedah, adding that Wei Shu would be the last defection from Pakatan.
“If there were to be a clear sign of another defection, the Menteri Besar will dissolve the House and call for snap polls.
“We rather lose the government through democratic means than defections,” Johari told FMT today.
Wei Shu is second state representative to leave Kedah PKR following Lunas state assemblyman Mohammad Radzhi Salleh, who quit the party last August and became an independent.
Another Kedah PKR representative, Kulim–Bandar Baharu parliamentarian Zulkifli Nordin also became an independent after being sacked by the party last month for misconduct.
Currently the state ruling Pakatan coalition has 20 seats, comprising PAS 16, PKR three and DAP one, in the 36-seat Kedah legislative assembly.
BN has 14 state seats (all Umno) and two BN-friendly independents – Radzhi and Wei Shu.
To pull a coup, BN needs another three to four assemblymen to defect from Pakatan.
Vulnerable reps
Johari alleged that BN had specifically targeted three PKR excos and DAP’s Kota Darulaman assemblyman Lee Guan Aik because “it thought those representatives were vulnerable.”
He however confidently boasted that BN would find it ‘impossible to crack’ the four Pakatan state legislators because “they all believed in their respective party principles and struggle.”
He claimed BN, especially Umno agents, had been working overtime and putting in relentless efforts to lure the Pakatan assemblymen with monetary charms.
Johari claimed that the representatives had been offered up to RM5 million each, plus a bungalow and even corporate directorship.
A Kedah parliamentarian, who declined to be identified, told FMT that Umno agents recently offered him large sum of money and a bungalow house to defect from PKR.
Since early last year, PKR has been rocked with defections by Perak assemblymen Mohd Osman Jailu (Changkat Jering) and Jamaluddin Mat Radzi (Behrang); Port Klang assemblyman Badrul Hisham Abdullah; and parliamentarians - Zahrain Mohd Hashim (Bayan Baru), Tan Tee Beng (Nibong Tebal) and Mohsin Fadzli Samsuri (Bagan Serai).
Apart from the elected representatives, former PKR secretary-general Salehuddin Hashim and former Penang Deputy Chief Minister I Mohammad Fairus Khairuddin have also left the party.
DAP has one defector – Jelapang assemblywoman Hee Yit Foong in Perak.
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