Interesting test case for anti-party hopping law coming up?

IF THE three Parti Sarawak Bersatu (PSB) state assemblymen who were elected by the voters as opposition reps during the last state election join the ruling Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) coalition, it would potentially serve a pioneering test case for Malaysia's anti-hopping law.

Indeed, the state and the nation are about to witness very intriguing political developments following the anticipated dissolution of PSB as a political party on the eighth day of Chinese New Year, which falls tomorrow.

Sarawak Pakatan Harapan (PH) information chief Abun Sui Anyit points out that PSB currently has three state representatives from the last election in 2021.

They are party president Datuk Seri Wong Soon Koh (Bawang Assan constituency), Johnical Rayong (Engkilili) and Baru Bian (Ba’kelalan).

"The three incumbent assemblymen were elected by the voters of their respective state constituencies because PSB contested as an opposition,” said Sui, who is also a senator and Sarawak PKR deputy chairman.

"What would happen if PSB, which is the party of these three incumbent assemblymen, dissolves itself this February 17 and these three YBs subsequently apply to join the ruling state government GPS via component party PDP (Progressive Democratic Party)?

"Will this be an act that contravenes the anti-party hopping law passed by Parliament?” he said. "My opinion as a politician is that this clearly will be an act of party-hopping.”

"The voters during the state polls elected these YBs as they were (incumbents) in the opposition. But now they will join the ruling government without going through a by-election.

"That is party hopping by any definition, but of course only the courts can issue a ruling that will have legal effect," said Sui, who is a lawyer.

Wong is still the current opposition leader in the Sarawak State Legislative Assembly.

PSB’s 80,000 members are expected to join PDP which has almost 100,000 members, making the latter one of the largest parties in Sarawak.

PSB has three seats in the 82-seat state assembly, DAP has two, while GPS has 76. One other seat, Batu Lintang, is occupied by independent rep See Chee How.

The Constitution (Amendment) (No. 3) Act 2022 that relates to anti-party hopping was passed in the Dewan Rakyat on July 28, 2022, and came into force on October 5 that same year following the consent of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.

Extraordinary meeting confirmed

Any move by PSB leaders and members to join PDP en bloc presents an acid-test on the effectiveness of the country's anti-hopping legislation, Sui stressed.

The PSB secretariat has sent out notices to all party delegates in the 30 branches statewide to attend an extraordinary delegates conference (EDC) that it will convene in Sibu town tomorrow.

Baru Bian, who is party secretary-general, had confirmed to reporters during a recent Chinese New Year gathering in Kuching that the EDC is being arranged.

"Yes, we are holding this EDC,” he said. "We have sent out notices already to all PSB delegates to attend."

Asked if the extraordinary assembly will see a motion to dissolve PSB with immediate effect, Bian replied: "For that, only the party president can answer."

The Vibes has already confirmed with highly placed sources in Kuching that PSB is scheduled to be officially dissolved as a political party on the eight day of the Chinese New Year.

The party’s central leaders and senior branch members with voting power will gather in Sibu for one last grand gathering with the motion on the dissolution to be tabled by Wong, who will then officially announce that PSB is dissolved.

"He will advise the 80,000-plus PSB members to apply to join PDP, a component of ruling state coalition GPS,” a source said.

The eighth day of the Chinese New Year is deemed to be an auspicious date in the Chinese calendar.

What happens to PSB leaders after they join PDP is a matter being finetuned by both parties.

On January 3, PSB leaders had publicly renounced the party's status as an opposition outfit in Sarawak.

Wong had then attributed “current political changes happening in the state and country” as the key factors forcing the party to re-assess its role in the political scene.

Reasoning that they had to look at the situation in a realistic perspective, he expressed full support for the federal Unity Government led by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim as well as the state government led by Premier Tan Sri Abang Johari Openg.

Following this, the only opposition assembly representatives left in the state are DAP’s Chong Chien Jen (Padungan) and Violet Yong (Pending).

Wong and other PSB leaders had on July 13 last year inked a deal with PDP president Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing in Kuala Lumpur to form partnership with each other at state and national levels. – The Vibes, February 16, 2024