KUALA LUMPUR – Another senior Umno politician has reiterated the call to table an anti-hopping law in the Dewan Rakyat.
In a tweet this morning, Umno secretary-general Datuk Seri Ahmad Maslan said he first suggested the idea when opposition coalition Pakatan Harapan had federal power in 2018.
“On December 20, 2019, I suggested for the PH government to table a motion on an anti-hopping law but nobody bothered.
“So, I want to repeat this suggestion to the new Malaysian government under Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob. Don’t pollute the country’s democracy. Stop with the party-hopping.”
Pada 20/12/2018 saya pernah cadang agar Kjaan #PH bentang di #Parlimen ttg Akta Anti Lompat Parti
— Ahmad b Maslan (@ahmadmaslan) August 30, 2021
Ketika itu tiada siapa kisah. Maka saya ingin ulangi cadangan itu kpd Kjaan #Malaysia yg baru bawah DS @IsmailSabri60
Jangan cemari demokrasi di negara ini. Hentikan lompat parti. pic.twitter.com/HjCFB1FEHF
He also shared screenshots of his tweets posted in 2018 – where he suggested that if an elected representative hops, a by-election should be called and the party-hopper should not be allowed to contest.
In addition, the rep should return the RM200,000 spent by the party for the campaign.
“Pakatan states should also adopt anti-hopping laws to deter assemblymen from doing so.”
In November, Umno’s Pengerang MP Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said had suggested the tabling of anti-hopping legislation to ensure Malaysia does not suffer more political instability and upheaval.
DAP’s late Datuk Karpal Singh was among the first to have mooted such laws, having witnessed defections in his own party in 2008.
Penang is one state with an enactment against party-hopping – Article 14A (1) of the Constitution of the State of Penang (Amendment) Enactment 2012 states that a member of the assembly shall vacate his seat if he has been elected as a candidate of a political party, has resigned or been expelled from or ceases for any reason whatsoever to be a member of that party, or has been elected as an independent but later joins a political party.
Article 10 (1)(c) of the federal constitution, however, guarantees Malaysians freedom of association. – The Vibes, August 30, 2021
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