GEORGE TOWN – It is pointless to hold the 15th general election (GE15) without passing the proposed anti-hopping law in Parliament first, observed Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow.
The DAP legislator said the trend of party-hopping will continue post-elections if the law preventing representatives from jumping is not in place.
“It will be wise to pass the anti-party hopping law before going to GE15, otherwise it will be purposeless going for the elections.
“The MoU between the ruling and the opposition expires in July. Why should we dance to their tune?” Chow questioned at Penang Amanah’s Hari Raya open house at the Permatang Pasir state constituency.
He recalled that the Pakatan Harapan (PH) presidential council had previously decided to hold state elections separately from the federal-level contest if the law had not been passed.
Furthermore, the Padang Kota assemblyman lamented that political parties in the country are left in the dark about when general elections would be held, “as Umno was making it difficult due to lack of consensus within the party fold”.
Chow added that the opposition coalition will consider whether to hold GE15 and the state elections simultaneously, depending on political developments.
Currently, he noted that PH prefers a separate state election if a general election is called in June or July.
“We will decide otherwise if the GE15 is held in October or November, and PH will decide on the matter depending on the political environment,” Chow said.
Also present was Permatang Pasir assemblyman Faiz Fadzil, Penanti assemblyman Dr Norlela Ariffin and the state’s Amanah chief Roslan Ahmad. – The Vibes, May 28, 2022
