GPS, Warisan govts formed by ‘frogs’ too, says Bersatu sec-gen
Bersatu secretary-general Hamzah Zainudin said the party’s MPs supported the anti-hopping bill as they understood the importance of the rule of law. (Bernama pic)
PETALING JAYA: Hitting back at accusations that his party comprises “frogs”, Bersatu secretary-general Hamzah Zainudin said the Sarawak government too is made up of component parties that defected from Barisan Nasional (BN).
Hamzah also said former Sabah chief minister Shafie Apdal was able to form the Warisan-led state government with the help of those who jumped ship, also from BN.
“If we look at Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS), (the component parties) left BN and formed the current (state) government.
“In 2018, the BN-led Sabah government fell because some of them (elected representatives) left and joined Warisan,” he told reporters.
In 2018, Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu Sarawak (PBB), Sarawak United Peoples’ Party (SUPP), Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) and Progressive Democratic Party (PDP) quit the BN coalition to set up GPS.
Hamzah, who is also the home minister, said Warisan would never have been able to form the state government if it had refused to accept party hoppers.
But Warisan asked two to three BN elected representatives to leave the coalition and join it, Hamzah said.
“And this led to (former Sabah chief minister) Musa Aman’s downfall.”
He said Amanah too was a party of former PAS members.
Hamzah added that Bersatu MPs supported the anti-hopping bill that was passed in the Dewan Rakyat today as they understood the importance of the rule of law.
He then went on to justify his party’s decision to quit Pakatan Harapan (PH) in 2020, which led to the collapse of the PH government, by citing “public interest”.
“They (Bersatu MPs) did not act for personal gain, they acted in a sense of responsibility to prevent racial tensions by forming a stable government.”
Meanwhile, Bernama reported Hamzah as saying that MPs from his party did not take part in the debate on the anti-hopping bill as many of them were ministers and deputy ministers.
“Many among us are ‘front benchers’ (members of the government administration). This is a problem for us. We have only two members (who are not in government administration),” he said.
There were no Bersatu representatives among the list of 54 MPs who debated the bill.
Hamzah also said that the Registrar of Societies (RoS) would study the constitutions of all political parties following the passage of the anti-hopping bill.
“RoS will study the constitutions of existing political parties,” he said.
Earlier, when winding up the debate on the anti-hopping bill, law minister Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar said there was a need to amend party constitutions to ensure they were in line with the bill.
PETALING JAYA: Hitting back at accusations that his party comprises “frogs”, Bersatu secretary-general Hamzah Zainudin said the Sarawak government too is made up of component parties that defected from Barisan Nasional (BN).
Hamzah also said former Sabah chief minister Shafie Apdal was able to form the Warisan-led state government with the help of those who jumped ship, also from BN.
“If we look at Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS), (the component parties) left BN and formed the current (state) government.
“In 2018, the BN-led Sabah government fell because some of them (elected representatives) left and joined Warisan,” he told reporters.
In 2018, Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu Sarawak (PBB), Sarawak United Peoples’ Party (SUPP), Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) and Progressive Democratic Party (PDP) quit the BN coalition to set up GPS.
Hamzah, who is also the home minister, said Warisan would never have been able to form the state government if it had refused to accept party hoppers.
But Warisan asked two to three BN elected representatives to leave the coalition and join it, Hamzah said.
“And this led to (former Sabah chief minister) Musa Aman’s downfall.”
He said Amanah too was a party of former PAS members.
Hamzah added that Bersatu MPs supported the anti-hopping bill that was passed in the Dewan Rakyat today as they understood the importance of the rule of law.
He then went on to justify his party’s decision to quit Pakatan Harapan (PH) in 2020, which led to the collapse of the PH government, by citing “public interest”.
“They (Bersatu MPs) did not act for personal gain, they acted in a sense of responsibility to prevent racial tensions by forming a stable government.”
Meanwhile, Bernama reported Hamzah as saying that MPs from his party did not take part in the debate on the anti-hopping bill as many of them were ministers and deputy ministers.
“Many among us are ‘front benchers’ (members of the government administration). This is a problem for us. We have only two members (who are not in government administration),” he said.
There were no Bersatu representatives among the list of 54 MPs who debated the bill.
Hamzah also said that the Registrar of Societies (RoS) would study the constitutions of all political parties following the passage of the anti-hopping bill.
“RoS will study the constitutions of existing political parties,” he said.
Earlier, when winding up the debate on the anti-hopping bill, law minister Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar said there was a need to amend party constitutions to ensure they were in line with the bill.
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