KUCHING, Feb 28 — Sarawak PKR secretary Joshua Jabeng said the defection of Julau MP Larry Sng will not disrupt the party’s preparation for the coming state election.
He said the preparation for the state election will be handled entirely by the party’s leadership council.
“It is a shared responsibility, not depending on any individual,” Jabeng told Malay Mail when asked to comment on Sng’s resignation today.
Asked if there would be an exodus of PKR members joining Sng to switch allegiance, he said: “Why should there be? He (Sng) joined after winning as an independent candidate. PKR has been around long before that,” he said.
Jabeng however did not deny the possibility that Sng’s loyalists may follow him and leave PKR for other reasons.
Meanwhile, state PKR Women secretary Cherishe Ng said if indeed Sng’s reasons are, as he claims, then she hopes that his constituents truly benefit from it and are not short-changed instead.
“After all, that is the purpose we are in politics - to serve the people. Let his people decide,” Ng said.
She also said party-hopping in Malaysia will continue unless the country implements anti-hopping laws.
‘While the practice of party-hopping may be legally plausible under the Malaysian law at the moment, it is entirely immoral.
“So perhaps we need to redefine what it is that democracy means for us, and what politicians should be.
“I think I speak on behalf of many youths when I say that what we need are politicians who have both moral and legal integrity.
“Only then will we see what democracy truly should be,” Ng, who is also a practising lawyer, said.
In his Facebook post earlier, Sng, formerly the state PKR chairman, said the best way forward is to put politics aside for now for stability and rebuild the country together
He said too much time has already been wasted, politicking and that people are suffering because of the economic impact of the pandemic, loss of jobs and income from low commodity prices.
Sng said he has been unable to serve Julau effectively through the lack of much-needed development funds, which is badly needed.
Earlier today, he handed over a statutory declaration in support of the Perikatan Nasional government to Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.
He considers himself as a PN- friendly Independent Member of Parliament.
