The Sabah government will table a constitutional amendment bill to adopt new federal-level laws to discourage lawmakers from switching parties.
Sabah Chief Minister Hajiji Noor (above) said his cabinet has agreed on the bill in order to ensure political stability.
“We support anti-hopping laws and we will table (a constitutional amendment bill) soon. What has happened in the past is in the past. Now, we want political stability in Sabah.
“The state cabinet has agreed on a special state assembly sitting to create (similar laws for the state) so we can sleep easy.
“We won’t have to worry about people hopping here and there,” Hajiji told a Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) roadshow in Keningau today, according to Sinar Harian.
Keningau was the first stop for the GRS roadshow since it was launched in May.
Representatives from Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS), Sabah Bersatu, Parti Solidariti Tanah Airku (Star), Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP), and United Sabah National Organisation (Usno) were present.
The switching of political parties by lawmakers is a common affair in Sabah. This practice resulted in BN forming the state government in 1994 without winning the election.
Defections also allowed Warisan to form the state government in 2018. Ironically, defections also caused the Warisan government to collapse two years later.
On July 28, Parliament passed a constitutional amendment which added stipulations that would force MPs to vacate their seat upon switching party membership.
However, Parliament intentionally added provisions to make it optional for states to adopt similar laws.
Apart from Sabah, Selangor and Perak have made similar pledges.
Penang has chosen not to, in view of a Federal Court ruling that its existing “anti-hopping” laws were already applicable.
The position of other states is unclear. - Mkini
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