Defections: A necessary 'cleansing'?

KUALA LUMPUR — The opposition front is putting a brave face on a spate of defections and in-fighting that has hit it just as its leader Anwar Ibrahim fights sodomy charges that could end his career.

Another opposition lawmaker quit Anwar's PKR party on Wednesday, joining two other legislators and a top party official who also resigned recently, in a boost for the Barisan Nasional coalition which was humbled in the 2008 elections.

The Pakatan Rakyat tripartite alliance, of which the PKR is a partner, says the exodus, which has included many more lower-ranking members, is a necessary "cleansing" after the polls which saw some untested candidates sweep to surprise victories. The other parties that make up the grouping are DAP and PAS.

"Before the 2008 general elections, PKR faced difficulties in finding candidates and we took whoever we could get, with the consequence that some of them were not up to the mark," party vice-president Sivarasa Rasiah told AFP.

"It's better they leave now rather than weaken us later at a more critical time near or at the next general election."

Analysts, however, say that party-hopping is nudging the Barisan towards regaining the crucial two-thirds parliamentary majority which it lost in 2008, depriving it of the right to amend the constitution in its favour.

Anwar, a former deputy premier who was sacked and convicted on separate sodomy and corruption charges, emerged from prison in 2004 to forge an alliance between his party and the other two.

Plotted to seize power

After a stunning success in the 2008 polls, which also netted the opposition control of five states, Anwar plotted to seize power by securing mass defections from the Barisan government.

But it was the Barisan that ended up drawing defectors, wresting control of Perak when three state assemblymen jumped ship in early 2009.

Last month, Bayan Baru MP Zahrain Hashim left the party, followed last Sunday by former Penang deputy chief minister and senior PKR member Mohammad Fairus Khairuddin.

Prime Minister and Barisan chief Najib Abdul Razak welcomed the defection of Mohammad Fairus, who stood down as DCM amid graft allegations, saying that PKR members have "lost confidence" in their leaders.

On Monday, another Penang lawmaker, Nibong Tebal MP Tan Tee Beng, announced his departure and declared himself an independent with Bagan Serai MP Mohsin Fadzli Samsuri following suit on Wednesday.

Anwar has struggled to quell ideological rows among his alliance partners over issues that include a ban on alcohol for Muslims and non-Muslims being barred from using the word "Allah" as a translation for God.

Veteran DAP lawmaker Lim Kit Siang said it was all part of "a long-needed self-cleansing process which, however painful and agonising, is necessary to restore public confidence".

New sodomy charges

That process is taking place against the backdrop of Anwar's trial, which began last month, on new sodomy charges that could see him jailed for up to 20 years, and which he says are a political conspiracy.

The Barisan needs 11 more seats to reclaim its two-thirds majority in the 222-seat Dewan Rakyat and Mohammad Agus Yusoff from Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia said more defections were likely.

If Pakatan loses its one-third hold on Parliament, it would have "a huge impact" because the government would once again be able to amend the constitution and change election rules to boost its own position, he said.

Political analyst Shahruddin Badarudin said the defectors were often disgruntled "because they are not getting any benefits, contracts or payoffs from the Pakatan state governments, who want to be transparent and clean."

"The opposition is already aware of which other lawmakers are expected to defect," he said.

"The issue is now how to get them out and consolidate the party so that a situation that can be managed does not get out of hand."

AFP
04/03/10