KUCHING, Mar 14 —Sarawak PKR today blamed former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad for miserably failing to implement any significant constitutional and legislative reforms during Pakatan Harapan’s (PH) 22 months in government power.

"This is a failure of epic proportion that has allowed this dismal state of party-hopping among Members of Parliament to be perpetuated,” it said in a statement.

It said instead of focusing on solving and managing the serious health and social-economic issues affecting the people as a result of Covid-19, politicians are now engaging in unscrupulous horse-trading in pursuit of personal power and wealth.

It also reminded all PKR and PH MPs to continue to hold firmly to their principles and reject all attempts by dirty ruthless individuals to buy and sell MPs like cattle.

"We condemn mid-term party-hopping among Members of Parliament and perceive it as an insult to voters and a gross breach of parliamentary integrity,” Sarawak PKR said.

"We believe many voters feel betrayed and we urge them to teach these political frogs a lesson and dump them in future elections as a stern warning that this unscrupulous behaviour will no longer be tolerated,” it said. 

It stressed it is morally wrong and unethical for legislators to switch allegiance and cross over to the rival camps. 

Sarawak PKR also urged "weak politicians” to stop using the Covid-19 pandemic and their constituents as a smokescreen to prop up a back-door government that has grossly neglected its duties and is perpetrating a culture of rent-seeking and pork-barrel politics.   

"We call for urgent legislative reforms that prohibit legislators who defect and switch allegiance from contesting for the next ten years and that legislators should immediately be disqualified from continuing their current term,” it said. 

Sarawak PKR also called for all MPs to receive equal and fair allocations for their constituencies.