KUALA LUMPUR – The historic anti-party hopping law inches closer to being implemented after the Dewan Negara unanimously passed the amendment bill today.
A total of 52 senators voted for the Constitution (Amendment) (No. 3) Bill 2022 in both the second and third readings, while seven were absent from the House during voting, according to Dewan Negara president Tan Sri Rais Yatim.
The constitutional amendment to outlaw party-hopping required a two-third majority to be passed.
Today’s successful vote comes less than two weeks after the Dewan Rakyat similarly passed the bill with all 209 MPs present backing the law, while 11 others – including top leaders of political parties – were not present.
The bill now only needs to be assented to by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong before being gazetted as federal law.
Under the proposed law, MPs who party-hop will have to vacate their seats, and by-elections will then be held to elect new representatives.
The bill, however, stipulates several exceptions, including for MPs who are fired from their parties, and if a party is disbanded or cancels its registration.
MPs who are later appointed as Dewan Rakyat speaker will also not lose their seats.
Earlier during his winding-up speech at the Dewan Negara, Law Minister Datuk Seri Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar had urged the senators to emulate their lower House counterparts in voting in favour of the bill.
“I would like to stress here that during discussions and engagements conducted by the parliamentary special select committee to oversee the bill, there was a spirit of tolerance and readiness to negotiate at a level so that we could achieve consensus in enacting this bill.
“As such, every one of you in this Dewan should also vote according to your conscience,” he said, urging the senators to be a part of making history. – The Vibes, August 9, 2022
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