Umno youth chief condemns Opposition MPs' "jumping ship" tactics

SHAH ALAM - Umno Youth Chief Dr Akmal Saleh has condemned the actions of Opposition MPs who have declared their support for Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, accusing them of undermining the integrity of Malaysian democracy.

In a statement, Dr Akmal urged Anwar to carefully evaluate the support of these MPs to ensure that the parliamentary reform agenda can be successfully implemented and its goals achieved.

"The ongoing political drama has caused widespread fatigue and frustration among the people.

"Now is the time to redirect our attention to assisting the people," he said in a Facebook post yesterday.

Dr Akmal also stressed that the recently enacted anti-party hopping law was intended to prevent politicians from switching parties at will, thereby preventing prolonged political instability and allowing elected representatives to focus on serving their constituents.

"It appears that despite the anti-party hopping law, these 'political frogs' continue to jump ship, albeit under a different guise – by supporting the government without switching parties.

"The name may have changed, but their intention to defect remains the same," he added.

Unity Government reportedly fishing for MPs

This morning, two Bersatu MPs revealed to Sinar Daily that the Unity Government is actively courting MPs in an effort to bolster its coalition.

The two MPs claimed that at least nine MPs are considering defecting and pledging their support to Anwar, including Jeli MP Zahari Kechik, Gua Musang MP Mohd Azizi Abu Naim, Labuan MP Datuk Suhaili Abdul Rahman, and Kuala Kangsar MP Datuk Iskandar Dzulkarnain Abdul Khalid.

Unity Government clinches two-thirds majority

In September, the Unity Government, formed through the cooperation of 14 political parties, held a total of 147 seats out of 222 parliamentary seats, just one seat short of a two-thirds majority (148 seats) following the withdrawal of support by Muda's Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman on Sep 10.

However, the government's position has strengthened in recent months. In October, Iskandar declared his support for Anwar on the 12th, while Suhaili followed suit on the 30th.

Suhaili confirmed yesterday that he had received allocations for his constituency but declined to disclose the amount.

Azizi became the third MP to endorse Anwar on Nov 7, stating that it was a necessary step for the betterment of his constituents.

Zahari announced his support the following day on Nov 8.

With these defections, the Unity Government now has a total of 151 MPs, securing the two-thirds majority it requires to pass legislation.