I refer to the announcement by Rahim Thamby Chik and his follows on their decision to quit UMNO.
The decision to quit the party is well within their rights, but I strongly reject any suggestion for Rajim Thamby Chi and his followers to join any of the parties in the Pakatan Harapan (PH) Coalition in Melaka.
It is clear that recently, UMNO is having an existential crisis where its leaders are quitting in droves. This was done not for the reform agenda but for their own personal greed and interest.
To recall, Rahim Thamby Chik was the former Melaka Chief Minister involved in numerous scandals. In 1994, he was involved in a statutory rape case against a student, which was then covered up by the Attorney General. Instead, Lim Guan Eng, who was the Member of Parliament for Kota Melaka at that time, was imprisoned under the Sedition Act and Printing and Publications Act for standing up and demanding justice for the victim.
In 1994, according to a police report made by Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim in 1999, the Attorney General and Anti-Corruption Agency had prima facie evidence that Rahim Thamby Chik was involved in misuse of power and corruption in the Syarikat Dayamik case. The Attorney General again decided to cover up the case and no action was taken.
In 2001, Rahim Thamby Chik was the culprit who publicly screened the false sex video to victimise Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
Therefore, Rahim Thambu Chik is not the “Bapa Pembangunan Melaka” as claimed, but he is “Bapa Segala Skandal Melaka”. I urge all Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (PPBM) to strongly reject any membership application by Rahim Thamby Chik or his followers. Or else, the acceptance of Rahim Thamby Chik will damage the integrity of the State Government and weaken the peoples’ confidence for PH Melaka.
At the national level, I urge the PH Presidential council to discuss the party hopping issue urgently and make a stern decision to reject and stop this issue from spreading. The acceptance of former UMNO leaders and members into PH is a betrayal against the people and PH members who have struggled against the Barisan Nasional regime for many years.
Parliament and the Cabinet must also discuss this issue and take steps to reform existing laws to ensure unethical party hopping would not happen again because it has time and again threatened the democratic processes and system in our country.
Khoo Poay Tiong
Member of Parliament for Kota Melaka
