DAP shot down party hoppers.

Thank goodness the DAP has principles.

On the subject of the reprehensible party hopping, which Malaysiakini has published in PKR Youth: 16 BN MPs ready to jump ship (all from Sabah and Sarawak – also heard on grapevine the price has gone up from RM3 Mil to 10 mil – wow!), apparently the High Court had ruled in 1992 that an anti-hop law would be unconstitutional as it contravened the freedom of association provision enshrined in the Federal Constitution.

The Court was of course looking at the letter of the law rather than the morality of voters being deceived by slimy frogs which presented themselves as Party A candidates, but after being voted on those credentials, would leap across to join Party B.

However, a constitutional amendment, which of course requires the support of at least two-thirds of the Dewan Rakyat, could pass such a law.

When the BN was exploiting such grubby unconscionable conduct (of party hopping), they were criticized, cursed and condemned. I am just amazed that the very people who lambasted the BN for those unscrupulous cheating of political powers are the very ones now claiming it’s OK because “the bigger picture is to dethrone the BN”.

What brains baffling bullsh*t because the “bigger picture” is to have a transparent, accountable, clean and truly democratic process for Malaysia.

But regrettably those blind-by-faith acolytes saw it now fit to rationalize, justify, and even promote the treacherous betrayal of voters by unscrupulous party hoppers.

In Malaysia many voters go for a political party rather than a candidate, and this is never more obvious than the recent election. It may be worthwhile considering what a (Chinese) sweetie in Alor Setar told me, that her grandmother and other relatives were advised by her uncle to vote for ANYONE or ANYTHING except the ‘ch’in’. I know, because my mum had that same advice.

‘Ch’in’ is a word in Hokkien (a Chinese dialect prevalent in Northern Malaysia - Penang, Kedah, Perlis right down to Taiping) meaning ‘dacing’ or the weighing scales, the symbol of the BN. That’s how a large number of Chinese have voted for PAS (yes, sweetie's granny voted for PAS) or PKR because their aim had been to vote out the BN.

Imagine how would they feel if the PAS and PKR MPs walk across to the BN? Wouldn’t that be a betrayal of their democratic choice?

Likewise, a BN voter would feel ultimately betrayed if their elected rep like a katak would lompat across to join PKR.

Yes, shamelessly, the common cry among those ‘lost’ souls (and I mean they have lost their souls) is “why was it no one complained when the BN did it” implying they now have the right to respond in tit for tat fashion, but forgetting they have been exclaiming, proclaiming and acclaiming their recent victory as a win for a ‘change for the better’.

May I ask how can a ‘BN Version II’ be a change for the better? Yes, if the BN ate sh*t, would they eat sh*t as well? If the BN was corrupt, would it be OK to be corrupt too? With such an attitude of 'whatever it takes to gain power post election', the so-called Barisan Rakyat could well be degenerating into a BN Version II - and I won't be in the least surprised.

I am glad that Karpal Singh has spoken out against such a sleazy avenue of gaining political power.

Karpal Singh, the Lion of Gelugor, stated in no uncertain terms that the DAP will support the BN anti-hop law proposal if it is tabled in Parliament.

Karpal effectively put a spanner in a de facto machination machine by saying: “Barisan just needs the support of eight more MPs to pass the proposal. We have 28 MPs.”

In that simple stark statement “We have 28 MPs”, Karpal has implied, to hell with those disgraceful disgusting de facto dealings. He has effectively distanced the DAP from the neo-UMNO Machiavellian manoeuvring mischief. He has also neutralised any necessity for BN to conduct covert horse trading to get the law passed.

Indeed, Karpal is basically stating in no uncertain terms, (my words of course) ‘let’s conduct our politics with some decent democratic de jure principles’.

Karpal Singh sneered (his actual words): “We also don’t welcome renegades defecting to DAP”, indirectly and morally shooting down another party.

He said (what should supposedly be upheld in the current ‘change for the better’ political situation): “The trust of the voters is sacred. There must be honour among the representatives who won under the Barisan ticket.”

Indeed, and he said in my hometown of Ayer Itam that those party-hopping should be outlawed as a criminal act as it was tantamount to cheating and deception.

Karpal was responding in bipartisan spirit to new minister Zaid Ibrahim’s proposal to introduce an anti-hopping law, after the PKR adviser claimed some BN MPs might cross over to the Opposition. Surely we don't want such grubs.

Meanwhile in Alor Setar, Anwar Ibrahim defiantly said the proposal showed that the BN government was scared its elected representatives would cross over to the Opposition. But what has he to comment on Karpal’s disdainful reaction to a political unacceptability which is so sleazy, slimy and stinking that any decent bloke or lassie wouldn’t touch it with a 3-metre long pole?

Anwar even has the audacity to advise: “A person who wants to cross over will not wait for the law to be passed. Is there anyone who wants to cross over?”

Reformasi? Do those who mouth this word regularly like a sacred mantra really know what ‘political reforms’ mean? Or has this word been aired meaninglessly and uselessly?

Reformasi, ha ha ha, surely the most perverted word currently in Malaysia!