Kedah opposition reps stage walkout over party-hopping

ALOR SETAR, Nov 13 (Bernama) – When Guar Chempedak assemblyman Datuk Dr Ku Abdul Rahman Ku Ismail stood up to speak at the Kedah Legislative Assembly sitting today, all the 15 PAS and two UMNO assemblymen walked out.

The 17 opposition assemblymen staged the walkout in protest against Ku Abdul Rahman’s resignation from UMNO and expression of support for the ruling Pakatan Harapan state government, said Kedah Opposition Leader Muhammad Sanusi Md Noor of PAS.

“We are against party-hopping and opposed to the Pakatan Harapan move to coax opposition MPs and assemblymen to join the coalition to strengthen it,” he said to reporters after walking out of the sitting.

 In the last general election, in May, Pakatan Harapan won 18 seats in the 36-seat Kedah assembly. PAS won 15 and Barisan Nasional-UMNO, three.

State Assembly Speaker Datuk Ahmad Kassim announced at the outset of the sitting that Ku Abdul Rahman had switched to the ruling coalition, thus reducing to 17 the number of opposition assemblymen in the state.

Muhammad Sanusi said party-hopping betrayed the trust of the voters who had elected their representative based on their party.

Sungai Tiang assemblyman Datuk Suraya Yaacob of BN-UMNO said she welcomed the unity displayed by the PAS assemblymen who also chose to walk out.

Ku Abdul Rahman, at the end of his speech, apologised to Suraya and the other BN-UMNO assemblyman Datuk Norsabrina Mohd Noor for having quit UMNO.

“It was not an easy decision. It was most difficult for me. It is a migration for me. Islam encourages its people to migrate,” he said.

The House will sit again tomorrow.

-- BERNAMA