Party hopping has become common practice in the Malaysian political system. Election seasons are notorious for rumours of MPs being offered positions in government, millions of ringgit, and more, to switch political allegiances. These corrupt practices are endemic and must be curbed.
While an MP does have the freedom to associate, the often underhanded ways in which this occurs leaves voters feeling betrayed and risks eroding the trust of the public in the election process. It reached its head in 2020 when several political betrayals caused the collapse of the Pakatan Harapan federal government.
An anti-hopping law must be introduced which includes mechanisms that allow for an MP to switch parties while also preserving the integrity of the electoral process. This may include a process for new elections when such changes happen. In any case, the main goal must be to increase transparency and curb the corrupt practices used to buy over MPs, this is where money politics must be eliminated.
April 11, 2022 The proposed anti-party hopping law should be tabled in a special Parliament sitting in May, says Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim. The Opposition leader said that, aside from those in the technical committee, not many lawmakers have read the full details of the proposed Bill. “We hope that in the next sitting, the […]
April 11, 2022 Amendments to the Federal Constitution have been tabled in Dewan Rakyat on Monday (April 11) to enable the anti-party hopping Bill to be tabled at a later date. Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Dr Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar tabled the proposed the constitutional amendments in Parliament on Monday (April […]
April 11, 2022A proposed law to ban party-hopping by MPs is to be tabled in Parliament in July, says Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob. Ismail said a parliamentary select committee will be formed to draft the anti-hopping law which will include representatives from the government, opposition and possibly academicians with expertise on the matter. He […]
April 10, 2022 Lawyers for Liberty (LFL) today cautioned the government against hurrying constitutional amendments to prevent party hopping among elected representatives, warning that the move may backfire and cause further problems. LFL’s chief coordinator Zaid Malek said any authority to amend Article 10 that governs freedom of association should lie with the voters as […]
April 10, 2022 Parliament will convene for a special sitting to table and debate the Constitution (Amendment) (No.3) Bill 2022 on Monday (April 11). The special sitting of the Dewan Rakyat will take place on Monday (April 11) and a special sitting of the Dewan Negara will take place on Tuesday (April 12). The tabling […]
April 7, 2022 Datuk Seri Dr Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar has expressed his frustration over the delay of the proposed anti-party hopping Bill, after working on it for over eight months. The Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Parliament and Law) said that he had to accept the fact the Cabinet was the highest decision-making […]
April 7, 2022 The special Dewan Rakyat sitting to table the amendment to the Federal Constitution (Amendments) 2022 Bill on anti-party hopping next Monday (April 11) has been extended for another day, says Datuk Seri Dr Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar. The Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Parliament and Law) said several agreements had been […]
April 7, 2022 Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Parliament and Law) Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar has denied that the delay in the legislation of a law to discourage MPs from defecting was due to sabotage. Speaking to reporters in Kuala Lumpur after attending a meeting of the bipartisan Joint Steering Committee on Transformation and […]
April 7, 2022 Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi has asked aloud if the delay in legislating laws to discourage MPs from defecting was due to sabotage. “(The passage) of the ‘anti-hopping’ law will take a long time and is at risk of being delayed indefinitely. The delay suggests (that the government) was not serious and […]
April 7, 2022 The Federal Constitution (Amendments) Bill 2022 on Anti-Party Hopping will be tabled, debated and passed at another special parliamentary sitting on a date to be determined later. However, the special parliamentary sitting scheduled for April 11 and 12 will continue as planned to table and debate the Constitution (Amendment) (No. 3) Bill 2022. Minister in the […]
