Penang against federal anti-hopping law: sacked PN men cry foul

GEORGE TOWN – Penang is at the risk of running afoul of federal laws after the state went ahead to expel four Perikatan Nasional (PN) assemblymen from the Penang assembly for switching political alliances in 2020.

Khaliq Mehtab Mohd Ishaq, who was sacked as the Bertam assemblyman, said that the anti-party hopping law in Penang was different from the one passed in Parliament last year, as it allowed for the sacking of those who switched parties.

The four had argued in the assembly that they were loyal to their parties, who had switched coalitions or had sacked them.

They claimed that they did not join the PN alliance on their own, and were either sacked from their parties or their parties had decided to switch alliances.

“We should conform to the federal law and all states should be uniform about it. This is a double standard and we vehemently oppose it,” said Khaliq after he was forced out of the House sitting here after a motion to expel them was overwhelmingly passed by the 40-member House here.

Khaliq represented Dr Afif Bahardin (Seberang Jaya), Zulkifli Ibrahim (Sg Acheh), and Zolkifly Md Lazim (Telok Bahang) in speaking to the media here.

He said that the state risked being censured by others for moving ahead with the motion to expel the four.

The move is considered a landmark one, as a state has never before done what Penang committed to earlier today.

Despite a fierce argument earlier in the state assembly, the four conceded defeat after they were outvoted, as the state government led by Pakatan Harapan has 33 seats compared with PN’s five.

Barisan Nasional (BN), who has two seats, had earlier abstained from the vote after state opposition leader Datuk Muhammad Yusoff Mohd Noor (Sg Dua-BN) said that he supports the anti-party hopping legislation.

However, he said he felt uneasy with the motion to expel the four backbenchers, and urged the state to consider the punishment, which takes effect from the date the four had defected, which is in 2020.

“I prefer a happy ending for all parties,” said Yusoff.

Earlier, Khalid also questioned why State Speaker Datuk Law Choo Kiang had continued to allow Yusoff to continue as state opposition leader when BN is part of the national unity federal government with Pakatan Harapan (PH).

“This is also unbecoming. Umno is part of the federal government but here in Penang, it is the opposition. The state has much to clarify,” said Khalid.

Penang PN chairperson Datuk Dominic Lau Hoe Chai said that the opposition would be launching a series of ceramah in every constituency in Penang to explain how unfair the PH government has become.

He said that democracy is dead in Penang, as they removed the elements of check and balance by sacking the four PN backbenchers here.

Lau said he was confident that Penang’s voters will see that PH has become arrogant after becoming entrenched here as the dominant political force. – The Vibes, February 6, 2023