The bill to restrict MPs from switching parties will not prevent another "Sheraton Move", said Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Parliament and Law) Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar.
Speaking at a press conference in Putrajaya yesterday, he said it will also not apply to MPs who are expelled from their parties.
Currently, the bill is being fine-tuned by the Special Select Committee which Wan Junaidi heads.
"Coalition hopping was a major issue in our discussions and we have deliberated on it since January.
"We decided to follow international practice. In other countries that have anti-hopping laws, it is only to prevent individuals from switching parties. Also, many coalition governments are only decided after an election.
"With the anti-party hopping law, we try to cover as many things as possible. We have discussed all kinds of scenarios.
"But the consensus is that we won’t be able to cover all aspects. If we try to stifle too much, it would not be democratic.
"The essence of the law is that we prevent MPs from simply switching parties," said Wan Junaidi, according to The Star.
The "Sheraton Move" refers to the events from Feb 23, 2020 in which Bersatu and a group of PKR MPs held a gathering with BN and PAS MPs at the eponymous hotel.
This gathering led to Dr Mahathir Mohamad resigning as prime minister and the collapse of the Pakatan Harapan federal government.
Dealing with individual MP defections
Wan Junaidi revealed that the bill will only amend the Federal Constitution and there will not be a new Act to deal with MPs switching parties.
One amendment will involve the annulment of Article 48(6) of the Federal Constitution, which currently bars those who resign as an MP from seeking office for a period of five years.
He said the bill will not compel states to enact similar laws but enable them to do so.
Under the new law, should a defection happen after the third year of a Parliamentary term, by-elections will not be held, said Wan Junaidi.
"If there are less than two years into a term, don't defect. You will not receive your allowance. There will be no election either.
"Sarawakian Malays have a saying: Buang tangga berhayun kaki. Ini tak dapat, itu tak dapat. (You will not benefit at all)," he said.
Wan Junaidi was confident the bill will be passed and made into law well ahead of the next general election while noting that all parties were supportive.
The timeline will depend on whether Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob calls for a special sitting of Parliament next month or if he waits until July when the Dewan Rakyat is already scheduled to reconvene.
Regardless, Wan Junaidi said the passage of the bill should only take a few months.
On proposals for a "recall election" system proposed by Pengerang MP Azalina Othman Said and electoral reforms pressure group Bersih, Wan Junaidi said the select committee was supportive of this idea but regarded the proposal as "Phase 2".
He said the select committee wanted to pass the bill it was working on first but was generally supportive of the "recall election" system. - Mkini
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