No need for threats to push for anti-party hopping law, Shafie tells DAP

KOTA KINABALU – There is no need for DAP to threaten the federal government with an end to the current political ceasefire in a bid to expedite the anti-party hopping law, as there is already wide support for the proposed legislation, Warisan president Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal said today.

Yesterday, outgoing DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng said the memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed between the Pakatan Harapan (PH) pact and the Umno-led federal administration would be “finished and ended” if there was no progress in the anti-party hopping bill.

Shafie said many political parties and MPs have already voiced support for the government to push ahead with the proposed bill, as the nation’s democratic system has been tainted by political turncoats.

“There was no need to issue any threats. There must be consensus,” he told reporters during a press conference here today.

In September, the federal government and PH signed an MoU aimed at securing political stability for the nascent administration amid the twin health and economic crises brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic.

The MoU guarantees that Parliament will not be dissolved until at least after July 31 this year.

However, the government said it will not be able to finalise the bill until it gets feedback from the Barisan Nasional and Perikatan Nasional coalitions, which had asked to postpone their earlier engagement sessions to focus on the recent Johor election.

Shafie said the focus now should be on making sure the proposed law includes sufficient punitive measures such as a lifetime ban on politics and possible jail time for offenders.

The law should also regulate the movement of groups of elected representatives and political parties leaving an alliance, he said. – The Vibes, March 21, 2022