PKR MP blames Harapan for Malacca fiasco

PKR MP blames Harapan for Malacca fiasco

A PKR lawmaker has issued a scathing rebuke to Pakatan Harapan for the political instability in Malacca.

Pasir Gudang MP Hassan Karim (above) said Malacca Harapan had been too opportunistic, while the central leadership failed to handle the crisis.

"Maybe many won't agree with me but that is OK. I must state my stand for us to reflect on together.

"Since the beginning of this crisis, I did not agree with Malacca Harapan’s opportunistic and irresponsible attitude which dragged the crisis to the dissolution of the Malacca state legislative assembly and snap polls.

"I also believe that the central Harapan (leadership) failed to handle this crisis well and failed to give proper guidance and leadership," he said in a statement today.

He said what is happening in Malacca today is a fiasco that affects both the state chapter and Harapan as a whole.

The upcoming Malacca election was triggered when four assemblypersons led by former chief minister Idris Haron withdrew support from the BN-led government.

Before Idris openly declared his defection, the Malacca Harapan leadership had met with the central leadership - where four DAP lawmakers voiced opposition to siding with the rebels.



Other sources indicated, however, that there was an agreement that night that Harapan would accept an invitation to form a new government.

Four days later, Harapan openly joined forces with Idris.

However, the plan backfired, and the state legislature was dissolved instead, paving the way for snap polls which have been scheduled for Nov 20.

After the assembly was dissolved, PKR president Anwar Ibrahim and PKR information chief Shamsul Iskandar Md Akin met with Idris and the other rebels.

Shamsul even spoke on behalf of the rebels when announcing that they would be appealing to Istana Negara to overturn the legislature's dissolution.

The Hang Tuah Jaya MP was widely believed to be a Malacca chief minister candidate in 2018. However, such plans went down the drain when Shamsul lost the Rim state seat by a narrow margin.

Idris and the three others, Nor Azman Hassan (Pantai Kundor), Noor Effandi Ahmad (Telok Mas) and Norhizam Hassan Baktee (Pengkalan Batu), are now eyeing to contest in the Malacca snap election under Harapan.

They were reportedly given a heroes' welcome at a Harapan event which Anwar also attended last night.

This has ruffled some feathers, as two of them Noor Effandi and Norhizam, were among those who defected and caused the previous Harapan-led Malacca government to collapse last year.

Among those who spoke out against the warm reception for the rebels were Rawang assemblyperson Chua Wei Kiat and Bakar Arang assemblyperson Simon Ooi, both from PKR.

"What madness is it to welcome traitors as heroes? I strongly disagree," Ooi said in a Facebook post today.

"These frogs are what caused the Harapan government to fall, and these frogs are the reason why there needs to be a state election in Malacca amid the Covid-19 pandemic," he added.

Likewise, Chua also said that traitors should not be treated as heroes.