KUALA LUMPUR, March 13 ― PKR vice-president and Kuala Langat MP Datuk Dr Xavier Jayakumar today announced that he is quitting the Opposition party to support Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin as an independent.
Dr Xavier said that his decision was borne out of extreme frustration, following a series of events which happened over the past year.
“The people want stability and to restart our ailing economic sectors. Towards this, we need to work together, not against one another.
“Therefore, I announce my immediate resignation as vice-president and member of PKR. I will continue to serve my constituency and support the government as an independent member of Parliament and I am confident that I will fulfil my election promises to the people of Kuala Langat,” Dr Xavier said in a statement.
He added that the priority right now should be to support the government of the day, which is Perikatan Nasional (PN), in the war against the Covid-19 pandemic, to create jobs and secure funds to rebuild Malaysia’s battered economy.
“It will take at least 18 months just to complete the vaccination programme and more than two years for the economy to fully recover. This needs bipartisan support, to make sure the efforts of the government are fulfilled,” Dr Xavier said.
Dr Xavier is the latest to announce his departure from PKR, after Julau MP Larry Sng and Tebrau MP Steven Choong last month. Both also declared themselves independents in support of Muhyiddin.
Sng who Sarawak PKR chairman.
Rumours have been circulating since last month that PN is making overtures to Opposition lawmakers in an attempt to win its parliamentary majority after three Umno MPs openly dropped support for Muhyiddin.
Machang MP Datuk Ahmad Jazlan Yaakub and Padang Rengas MP Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz both announced their withdrawal of support in January while Gua Musang MP Tan Sri Razaleigh Hamzah made his sentiment known in December 2020.
The number of supporters who are pro-Muhyiddin is currently unclear as Parliament has yet to convene, despite a decree by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong saying it can do so during the current nationwide state of Emergency called to curb the Covid-19 pandemic.
