KUALA LUMPUR: Pakatan Harapan's acceptance of deserters from Umno is a betrayal of the mandate given by the people to the ruling coalition, PKR vice-president Nurul Izzah Anwar said.

In a stinging rebuke delivered via Twitter today, the Permatang Pauh Member of Parliament (MP) described the widespread defections and PH being open to taking them in as an insult to voters who gave their mandate to PH in the 14th General Election (GE14).

The newly-appointed Penang PKR chairman pointed out that PKR had suffered a similar problem in the past and does not wish to see any other political party go through the same predicament.

"The mass exodus from Umno is a betrayal of the mandate given by the voters on the 9th of May (GE14)...it insults those who are loyal to the cause.

"Our party (PKR) was attacked before by defections. (I) would not want that kind of pain and antics upon anyone else.

"There is no meaning to democracy if Malaysia is governed by elite-based politicking," she said.

She was replying to a Twitter post by one Patrick Lim Ming Yau, who sought her opinion on Petaling Jaya MP Maria Chin's stance that PH must not accept Umno-leavers.

Yesterday in a Twitter post, Maria had voiced out objection against the mass crossing-over and PH accepting them because Malaysians voted in GE14 to stamp out graft and abuse of power.

She said that PH must not accept defectors from Umno as they had colluded in the perpetrating of corruption during the 61 years of Umno-led administration.

Following the historic GE14 on May 9, Umno has been hit by a series of defections, with the latest wave of party members jumping ship coming from Sabah and Peninsula Malaysia.

Source NST