COMMENT | When it comes to PKR possibly bleeding more MPs, I have no sympathy for Pakatan Harapan. In fact, when it comes to how Anwar Ibrahim of late has persecuted this conflict with the PN regime, it seems like some sort of crude karma, that PKR is haemorrhaging MPs.

When the PKR president was going on with his ludicrous counter-coups, which never materialised, and when the old maverick was accepting MPs from Umno back when Harapan was squirming uncomfortably in the hot seat, nobody was taking the issue seriously, believing the good times were here to stay. Who knows what kind of "inducements" were offered for the leaps of faith.

Admittedly, Kuala Langat MP Dr Xavier Jayakumar's decision to throw in with the PN regime is disappointing, and if what secretary-general Saifuddin Nasution Ismail says is true about Xavier being "targeted", his departure makes his association with this backdoor government more sinister.

PKR lawmaker Sivarasa Rasiah's echoing of the sentiment that this was targeted harassment by the state does not answer the question, which is if Xavier is innocent of all accusations, why not stay and fight instead of jumping ship? After all, many Harapan politicians have had pressure applied to them and they have stood their ground.

Or why not just retire from politics and let the legal processes against his “acquaintances” play out, instead of enmeshing with a cabal that is capable of either political blackmail or bribery to ensure their survival? This way forces the state to play its hand and Xavier could go down the martyr route.

Indeed Xavier is not an ordinary “frog”. He was a former minister who knew the internal workings of the then Harapan government and a reliable hand in PKR. His decision to "support" the PN regime has consequences that could further destabilise the Harapan coalition.

Bersatu supreme council member Zuraida Kamaruddin said something extremely sinister when she stated that Xavier had got "clarity" and perhaps more MPs would join him. Does Xavier really think that these people are interested in handling the pandemic? 

As it is, the average Joe has been penalised for breaching SOPs while the elites from PN have got away scot-free. Does Xavier think that by joining this bunch that he is helping the rakyat of Malaysia?

When you are a frog, you will always be a frog and nobody shows much sympathy for people who would abandon their comrades. The fact that Azmin Ali gleefully alludes to more frogs jumping and Annuar Musa, the kind of Umno potentate that made life difficult for Xavier and his comrades gets to speculate on more of his “friends” jumping, should tell us something about the people Xavier thinks are good for this country.

Will Xavier avail himself to the new fake news directive but attempting to make the claim that any speculation of his jump was because of extortion or blackmail through acquaintances' fake news? Is this the kind of bipartisan support the PN regime needs?

So far whenever these frogs have jumped they have said they were doing it to support the government or that PN was doing a good job and what was needed was bipartisanship. Indeed, in his press release, Xavier highlighted bipartisanship as one of his reasons for jumping ship.

This is complete horse manure. You do not need to be an independent to support the government if you think it is doing a good job. You do not need to derail your own political coalition to support bipartisan efforts. 

Indeed, becoming an independent actually makes your job of representing your constituents more difficult, unless of course, you are relying on the largesse of the government to aid your constituents, which only goes so far.

Xavier said that events of the past year have been frustrating and this was the reason why he was throwing in with the current government. 

This of course makes no sense whatsoever because, for the past year, Xavier has taken unpopular political positions by highlighting the plight of migrant workers, undocumented workers, governmental malfeasance, freedom of the press, the shenanigans of the state security apparatus and a host of other issues which have demonstrated the mendacity of the PN government towards disenfranchised groups or the rakyat.

Indeed, the state security apparatus called in Xavier just last May about his supposed seditious remarks about parliamentary sitting.

So where exactly is the frustration coming from? If the internal politics of PKR was proving to be a stumbling block, or even if it was impeding the reform agenda, this is still not a reason to throw in with the PN government. 

Again, it would have been better if he just stepped back instead of causing trouble for his whole coalition. Unless of course, Xavier is claiming that PN, which he has raged against as recently as last month, is a better alternative to Harapan.

PKR vice-president Tian Chua said it would be unfair to accuse Xavier of being a traitor, but it is extremely difficult to make the case that Xavier’s motives are altruistic when he himself has made the case that this government cannot be trusted. 

When he then makes the case that this government needs the support of MPs, he does so by destabilising his own coalition instead of extending bipartisan support on issues where he thinks the government is right, while still supporting the alliance he helped form.

Who knows who else in Harapan will get "clarity". And when it comes right down to it, does it matter if a frog jumps because he or she is bribed or blackmailed? 

Xavier was an example of an MP who numerous times bucked the Harapan group and stuck his political neck out for issues he deemed important. He was an important voice in a discourse bogged down with partisanship and political expediency.