KUALA LUMPUR, April 4 — History has shown that MPs who betray their parties have a slim chance of staying one at the next general election, PKR communications director Fahmi Fadzil said today as his party prepares for GE15.
The first-term Lembah Pantai MP added that PKR is focused on finding suitable people to replace those he claimed to have betrayed the party’s principles for the upcoming electoral showdown, which is only due to be called in 2023 but highly anticipated to be called this year.
“Following PKR history itself, whichever MP that has betrayed the party rarely gets to become an MP again after that,” he said during the Lembah Pantai PKR annual general meeting (AGM) at the Signature Hotel in Jalan Pantai Baharu here this afternoon.
“So good luck to all of them,” he added, without elaborating.
The AGM was followed by the launch of the Lembah Pantai PKR election machinery for GE15.
Fahmi said PKR has stepped up its party divisions in all constituencies and building up morale at the grassroots level for GE15.
Also present at the event today was former deputy prime minister Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, who rallied supporters to rise against party “traitors”.
The Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition, which includes PKR, won GE14 in 2018, but lost power last year after several of its MPs deserted and teamed up with their political adversaries from Umno and PAS to form a new coalition. The political gambit has since been dubbed the “Sheraton Move”.
Among those who switched sides are Gombak MP Datuk Seri Azmin Ali and Ampang MP Zuraida Kamaruddin.
These MPs are now often called pengkianat — the Malay word for “traitor” — by their former colleagues.
The country is currently in a state of Emergency to deal with the twin health and economic crises brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, a former PH ally, has repeatedly hinted that national elections will be called soon after the Emergency ends, which is currently scheduled for August 1.
