A Sarawak-based civil society movement has called for state Premier Abang Johari Openg to extend the anti-party hopping law to the Borneo state, after it is passed in Parliament.
In a statement today, Rise of Social Efforts (Rose) demanded Abang Johari state his stance on the matter as the existing state Constitution was said to be insufficient to deter party-hopping.
“This is an impotent and weak law to deter party-hopping as the obligation imposed on the Aduns (state assemblypersons) in the said provision is a voluntary one,” Rose said.
They were referring to Article 17(7)(a) reads, “Any person who has voluntarily given an undertaking to the Speaker in writing that he will not resign his membership from the political party for which he stood or to which he belonged when he is elected to the Dewan Undangan Negeri, shall, if he resigns from the political party after being elected, be disqualified in the interest of public integrity and morality from continuing to be a member of the Dewan Undangan Negeri with effect from the date he resigned from the political party.”
They questioned how many of the current elected Sarawak assemblypersons have “given such an undertaking”.
“There has been no public disclosure of such undertakings. And secrecy is antithetical to a good, working democracy!
“Disappointingly, the only view Abang Johari has expressed is that the state governor needs to give his consent before the anti-hopping law is enforced.
“To date, he has not commented substantively on what form the law should take. Nor have other GPS leaders.
“In other words, the 23 GPS MPs have no guidance about how to debate the issue when the bill is tabled to be debated in Parliament,” Rose said.
They called on the state premier and state government leaders to publicly disclose their stance on the anti-hopping law.
They said the Sarawak electorate has a right to know the state government’s intention toward the federal government’s desire to amend the Federal Constitution to standardise anti-hopping provisions between states in the federation.
“Or is the state government’s silence an indication they object to the adoption of the same law at the state level? If so, what is the state government’s basis or grounds for doing so? The public has a right to know.
“The public also has a right to know what improved form of anti-hopping law the state government prefers,” they said.
Rose said since the Sarawak government prides itself that the state is better run than those on the peninsula, now is its time to show leadership on this anti-hopping constitutional amendment that meets the people’s aspirations for more democratic politics.
“The anti-hopping provisions to be applied to state assemblypersons must be one that is much stronger than the present impotent Article 17(7)(a)," they added.
On April 17, de facto Law Minister Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar said the anti-hopping law would have to get Sarawak's consent first before being extended to the state.
The Santubong MP was quoted as saying that the matter was raised by Abang Johari.
Meanwhile, Rose also provided its definition of party-hopping where it said lawmakers who leave their political parties or join a political party after being elected as an independent must resign to pave way for an election.
“Those who are expelled by their parties also should vacate their seats,” they said. - Mkini
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