COMMENT BY YB PROF DR P.RAMASAMY, DEPUTY CHIEF MINISTER II, PENANG
What is so special about Xavier?
PKR MP Sivarasa cannot argue or defend his former party’s vice-president Xavier Jayakumar for being the victim of selective investigation or prosecution by the MACC.
It just a lame excuse that conceals the MACC’s investigation into some of the purported “unsavoury deals” engaged by Xavier and his close associates.
However, to date, nothing has been proven against Xavier or his associates apart from investigation itself. If Xavier was not involved in corruption, then why the haste in resigning from his party and crossing over to support the PN government?
The argument by Sivarasa is a non-starter.
He said that Xavier would not have resigned to go over to the side of the PN government if there was no selective prosecution or investigation by the MACC. Whether there was selective investigation or its absence, Xavier being a seasoned politician should have stood his ground.
While there is nothing much to be expected from the MACC, Xavier should not have crumbled that easily. He should have defined the odds.
If he was not guilty, why worry.
He should have followed the example of his leader Anwar Ibrahim who stood his ground despite being imprisoned twice.
Many other PH leaders had to put up with threats and intimidation in the past, but they did not buckle.
What is so special about Xavier?
The question is: was he involved in the shady deals or projects?
But unfortunately, Xavier caved in even before the investigation could commence or even before he was charged.
The rapid manner in which he threw his towels to leap frog to the PN side might gives much credibility to MACC, a political arm of the present beleaguered government.
Even if Xavier found it untenable to stay on with PKR, he should have at least resigned to become an independent MP.
So, why the haste to jump to PN with rationale that it needs the support to tide over the Covid-19 pandemic.
Anyway, who is Xavier to suggest that the next general election needs to avoided for the next 18 months or so, not until the vaccination process is completed.
His press release suggests, a poor one indeed, it was scripted by those responsible for enticing or threatening him for the eventual crossover.
In this respect, some senior ministers in the PN administration are doing their jobs. To date, including Xavier, three MPs have been brought over to the PN government through the combination of threats, the use of MACC, the Inland Revenue Board (IRB) and the promise of millions or even projects.
One thing is sure whether the PN government is fighting the pandemic or not, it is certainly engaged in buying over the opposition.
The emergency induced environment of suppression of the opposition provides a perfect opportunity for the PN to weaken the opposition.
