KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 22 — Support for Pakatan Harapan (PH) has been on the uptick after a few gloomy months earlier this year, DAP secretary-general Anthony Loke said.
Looking back on the past six months, he said the ground sentiment towards PH had improved perceptibly in response to a few developments — although he did not offer any specific data to back up his claims.
“First of all, we managed to push through the constitutional amendment for the anti-party hopping law.
“When we signed the MoU (memorandum of understanding) with (caretaker prime minister Datuk Seri) Ismail Sabri (Yaakob) in September 2021, there was a lot of scepticism among our supporters — whether we would be played out, would they honour the commitment?
“But most important of all the agenda was the anti-party hopping law. When it didn’t happen in March as promised, there was a lot of unhappiness on the ground among our supporters. And even among our members, they were asking if we were not able to push through that agenda,” Loke told Malay Mail in an interview recently.
The incumbent Seremban MP said, however, that the passing of the constitutional amendment related to the anti-hopping law at the end of July was a breakthrough that allowed PH to come good to its supporters.
“And I think the fact that Najib (former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak) was sent to jail, that was another event development that gave back confidence to the public that the future of this country has hope.
“We convinced them that changes we made in 2018 were not worthless.
“Some people said after the Sheraton Move, why bother to vote at all, because whatever the outcome of the election, it will not bring any changes.
“But the jailing of Najib is a testimony that if it is not because of May 9 (general election), this would not be possible at all.
“From that perspective, I think people can realise the importance of voting, the importance of making their decision at the ballot box,” he said, referring to Najib’s 12-year prison sentence and RM210 million fine after the Federal Court on August 23 upheld his conviction for the embezzlement of public funds in the SRC International case.
Informally named the anti-party hopping law, the amendment was mooted as a bipartisan response to the so-called Sheraton Move of 2020, when political defections caused the collapse of the PH government.
The collapse led to Perikatan Nasional (PN) coming to power unelected before the coalition was itself forced to yield last year to Barisan Nasional (BN) that was voted out in the 14th general election.
The law was also part of the MoU signed between Ismail Sabri and the PH coalition.
Specifically, it is an amendment of the Federal Constitution, which includes the addition of Article 49A (pertaining to members of Parliament) and a change to the Eighth Schedule (pertaining to state assemblymen).
The new amendments will cause MPs and state assemblymen to lose their seats if they switch parties, or if they join one after being elected as an Independent.
“As I said, we know the major factor that created this fatigue and disappointment was the Sheraton Move, because people were so fed up with politicians. Those MPs whom they voted in, they can just jump to the other side, then cause the fall of the government.
“But the remedy will be the anti-hopping law. We have gotten that through. That is some sort of guarantee and confidence to the voting public, that whoever they vote for, they have to abide by the mandate that was given to them in Parliament or the state assembly,” said Loke.
The Election Commission has set polling day on November 19, nomination day on November 5 and early voting on November 15.
On October 10, caretaker prime minister Ismail Sabri announced the dissolution of Parliament to trigger a general election that must be held within 60 days of his declaration.
