All PH reps to back anti-hopping bill

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Anti-party hopping law: it’s now or never – Howard Lee

AS someone who experienced up close and personal the collapse of two state governments resulting from defections, one as a senior political staffer and another as an executive member of the betrayed and befallen administration, I qualify myself for an opinion on the matter.

Jumping across to the dark side, from dry land to muddy waters as frogs do, is but one of the many characteristics of political defectors.

Their ability to camouflage by changing colour and blend in to be hidden from plain sight; their cold-bloodedness, cannibalistic tendencies among some species, and poisonous to even touch among some others, are also notable in some frogs and salamanders, or the amphibian class.

Perak has been plagued with the curse of political “amphibianism” for much longer and more rampantly than any other states in our federation.

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Govt, Pakatan agree to the proposed amendment to Federal Constitution

KUALA LUMPUR, April 11 — The government and Pakatan Harapan (PH) have reached an agreement on three points relating to the proposed amendment to the Federal Constitution, with the first to refine the definitions of the restrictions for elected representatives to switch parties as stated in Article 10.

Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Parliament and Law) Datuk Seri Wan Junaidi Tuanku said the agreement was reached at the meeting chaired by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob this morning.

He said the meeting also agreed to the proposal to repeal Article 48 (6) of the Federal Constitution, as well as other amendments to the Federal Constitution which were deemed necessary.

Article 48 (6) states that a person who resigns his membership of the House of Representatives (Dewan Rakyat) shall, for a period of five years beginning with the date on which his resignation takes effect, be disqualified from being a member of the House of Representatives.

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Anti-hopping bill not watertight – Derek Fernandez

THE current debate among MPs on both sides of the aisle in relation to the proposed amendment to the federal constitution to allow anti-hopping laws to be enacted and enforced is not about the need of having such laws or constitutional amendments.

But the risk that if such laws or constitutional amendments are not properly drafted or ambiguously drafted may lead to abuses that can undermine the very principle of representative democracy under our constitution.

Presently the government is proposing a short and simple amendment to Article 10 in its constitutional amendment bill in Parliament.

Article 10 of the federal constitution, titled Freedom of speech, assembly and association, provides constitutional protection to citizens in relation to their right of free speech, assembly and association.

These are often considered as part of the fundamental liberties, which our constitution provides its citizens.

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Recall elections will act as insurance for voters

From Azalina Othman Said

“What is party hopping and why is it so difficult to define?” is a question that has of late been put to me over and over again by many Malaysians.

Simply put, when an elected representative moves to another party after being elected by their voters, he or she has party-hopped.

In reality, however, party hopping, or the motivation behind why an elected representative hops, is a nuanced discourse. It can occur under many circumstances, some of which may be fully attributable to the elected representative, and others which are less so.

The government of the day, upon the signing of the memorandum of understanding with Pakatan Harapan, has committed to the passing of an Anti-Hopping Law.

The government is now in the process of engaging lawmakers from all parties, and other stakeholders, including academics, in drafting an Anti-Hopping Law before the next July sitting.

Many parties across the political divide, including Umno, have expressed their commitment to passing the anti-hopping law.

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