Badrul Should Resign Immediately & Allow the People of Port Klang to Elect their ADUN.

By Charles Santiago, MP Klang

When Port Klang Assemblyman Badrul Hisham was visibly absent from his constituency since he was elected and consistently dogged meeting with his Pakatan Rakyat colleagues, we smelled a rat. 

Efforts by myself to reach out to him also came to a naught with non-cooperation, un-returned phone calls and blatant attempts to avoid me.

Therefore, it comes as no surprise that Badrul has resigned to become an independent lawmaker supporting Barisan Nasional. Rumors of his defection have been circulating since last March.

After throwing in the towel, Badrul has gone to the media with numerous excuses for his resignation including the ongoing sodomy trial of opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim. But his incessant talking does nothing to hide the shadowy presence of UMNO leaders who have clearly stage managed his exit.

Badrul was elected to the state seat as a PKR representative and jumping ship circumvents democracy. He has also betrayed his constituents.

Ruling UMNO’s tactics to lure opposition candidates to switch camps to overthrow the Pakatan Rakyat-led governments is deplorable.

The ruling government would be better positioned to win the confidence of the people if Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak makes good his electoral promises of weeding out graft. His administration would certainly not score brownie points by crafting cross-overs.

Neither would the premier regain the confidence of the people by making statements supporting Badrul, who has ruled out quitting as an elected representative.

If UMNO wants to display a tad of justice, it must get Badrul to resign and re-contest in a by-election to be the truly elected representative of the people of Port Klang. The people must, once again, be given the choice to choose their leader.

In this regard, I also fully support Selangor Mentri Besar Khalid Ibrahim’s call to Badrul to quit his elected post with immediate effect.