I feel sorry for frogs. Seriously.

The real ones I mean. Yes, the amphibians that are known for their jumping abilities, croaking sounds, bulging eyes and slimy skin. They live all over the world and are among the most diverse animals on the planet with more than 6,000 species.

And frogs (with toads) help keep the world’s insect population under control. That according to Wikipedia quoting the San Diego Zoo. Their appetite for bugs is usually quite helpful. The good they do for us humans.

Yet, we have linked them albeit unfairly, I would say, to political defectors, just because both are hoppers!

Frogs hop to get around. That’s how they go from one place to another.

Defectors hop from one party to another. Hence, the tag political frogs, derogatory as it is meant to be. Political frogs are looked upon with scorn by people.

To say people, lots of people, are angry with defectors is an understatement. Furious would be a better word, I think.

Fine! Be angry. Be furious. Hate the defectors. But just don’t drag frogs into the picture!

Come to think of it, there are other “labels” pinned on political defectors. Traitors, backstabbers and many more. Somehow, “frogs” seem to be the favorite. I hear the croaking protests.

To state the obvious, politicians who leave their parties to join smaller parties or the opposition ranks are tolerated, so to speak, because apparently there’s no gain to be hauled as they would be stepping onto hard territory. Most times, that’s how it is seen.

But from the opposition to jump to a big coalition, in particular political parties in power (read government), then it’s a different story.

Such a move (or should I say a hop) is always linked to things negative. The perception is dirty deals play a big part in the defection.

Hard to prove, but that’s the general suspicion. No matter what the defectors’ side of the story might be.

Nine of ten people I talked to would want nothing better than to punish the defectors who had abused the trust of the people and disrespected the choice of the rakyat.

The odd one says he will not vote anymore.

Anyway, let’s be honest, many want to get even with defectors.

Just how do we punish the defectors? By not voting them in the next election, right? That’s what everybody tells me. And I can’t say they are wrong. 

However, here’s the thing. The defectors won’t be around in the next polls.

I say this based on what happened in the past.

If they had defected to become the so-called independent but pro-government reps, they would not seek re-election, meaning they would not stand for election again.

If they defected and joined other political parties (which are in power), they would not be fielded by their new parties (or should I say new bosses), as they would be seen as “political baggage”.

Remember the Perak constitutional crisis in 2009? The move by two lawmakers from PKR and one from DAP quitting their parties to become independents and pledged support for BN, causing the collapse of the state government helmed then by Pakatan Rakyat?

People were angry and spoke openly that they wanted to teach the trio a bitter lesson come the next general election.

The election came in 2013 but the three defectors were not among the candidates.

In fact, they never contested any election ever again. The point is, the angry people of Perak who had wanted “vengeance” by not voting the three defectors, did not get their chance to do so!

At the federal level, I can recall Wee Choo Keong who won Wanga Maju on a PKR ticket in GE13 in 2008, quit the party two years later (citing “valid’ reasons) and sat in Parliament as an independent MP.

He did not re-contest his seat or any other for that matter in GE14 in 2013.

So, for Wangsa Maju voters who had intended not to vote for him as to “kick ” him out of office, it was opportunity lost!

The “morale” of the story is people, angry as they might be, lose their chance to get even. You simply cannot vote out defectors as they are not there anymore come the polling day.

Chances are the current group of politicians who crossed over to be Perikatan Nasional friendly would not seek re-election, perhaps sensing they will not win as people who had voted for them in 2018 are still fuming. So they fade away into their political sunset.

This is my personal opinion. I could be wrong. I could be right.

What about the defectors who have joined political parties in the PN fold? Some will not be GE15 candidates surely. Some will. Like those holding ministerial and government positions.

Will they win? That’s another story.

When voters are “deprived” of their chance to inflict vengeance on defectors, what do they do? Or what can they do?

I feel they would do the next best thing. And that is to pour out their anger on the parties associated with the defectors.

What I am saying is that anti-defection voters will not vote for the parties who had enticed and embraced defectors. That to me would be how they inflict vengeance. It’s like if one cannot get the defectors one punish, the closet thing one can get is the parties.

So, parties which have roped in defectors stand to face the wrath of voters who felt stabbed in the back by the defectors. That to put it plainly.

However, let’s go back to Perak 2009. When the Pakatan Rakyat state government collapsed and BN took over the reign of power, many people in the state were also talking about not voting the BN government in the next election which they said came via the back door.

But the “back door government” retained power in election held four years later. Why? How? Was it because the simmering fire of 2009 had been doused, or simmered down to say the least?

Whatever it was the BN survived GE 13 and was voted back to office. 

But five years later, BN lost not only Perak but other states as well, and also the jewel in the crown – the federal government.

Can this be summarized as “defeats are inevitable; they will come, only a matter of time”?

The Malaysian Bar puts it this way: “A government that is sustained in power by party-hopping MPs may also lose power by party-hopping.”

(Mohsin Abdullah is a veteran journalist and now a freelancer who writes about this, that and everything else.)