‘SEAT JUMPERS ARE UNTRUSTWORTHY’
They fail to serve the interests of people who vote for them, says analyst
POLITICAL leaders who constantly seek safe seats have b een described as untrustworthy and selfish. Political analyst Dr Ainul Adzellie Hasnul said seat-jumping moves by certain leaders had adverse effects on the people they represented, as they failed to serve the best interests of the people who had voted for them.
“This seat-jumping culture during the general election should not take place.
“As the people’s representatives, these leaders should represent the people rather than being busy expanding their power.
“Seat-jumping happens when leaders fear l osing the trust of the voters who had voted for them.”
Citing DAP supremo Lim Kit Siang as an example, Ainul said the veteran leader often changed his constituency and had contested in many parliamentary and state seats.
“Seat-jumping culture will affect the voters in the particular constituency as all development plans for them will be stopped when the representatives ‘move’ to another constituency.
“It is their (the leaders’) fault for not going to the ground to meet the people during their tenure as representatives for five years. Furthermore, there are some who only ‘show face’ when the general election is around the corner.”
Universiti Sains Malaysia political analyst Dr P. Sivamurugan said parliamentary and state seatjumping would only cause “cah keting” (fractional politics) to happen.
“Division chiefs who have been working hard in their respective constituencies will feel like outcasts when the party selects an outsider to become a candidate in their areas, although the selected candidate is known for his seat-jumping record.
“As a result, there will be an element of sabotage and cah keting, which will put the party at a disadvantage.”