Oct 6 decision for bid to amend suit over Penang’s anti-hopping law

 

Four Penang assemblymen, (from left) Zulkifli Ibrahim (Sungai Acheh), Dr Afif Bahardin (Seberang Jaya), Khaliq Mehtab Mohd Ishaq (Bertam) and Zolkifly Md Lazim (Telok Bahang), say the state’s anti-hopping law is not constitutional.

GEORGE TOWN: The Penang High Court will decide on Oct 6 whether to allow amendments in the case relating to four state assemblymen who filed an originating summons (OS) against the Penang state assembly to stop it from passing a motion to vacate their seats.

Judicial commissioner Azizan Md Arshad set the date after hearing oral submissions from both parties over the assemblymen’s application to amend their OS.

“The decision will be delivered via email to both parties on Oct 6, with an e-review for further instructions about the OS, since both lawyers are based in Kuala Lumpur,” he said.

During the hearing, the assemblymen’s lawyer, DP Naban, said the application was filed on grounds that the state’s anti-hopping law was not constitutional.

“It infringes on their freedom of speech because if they were to speak differently, they may be expelled from their party and have to vacate their seat under Article 14A(1) of the Penang state constitution,” he said.

Meanwhile, lawyer Surendra Ananth, representing the Penang state legislative assembly and its speaker Law Choo Kiang, told the court that if the amendment to the OS was allowed, it would further delay the case and the hearing.

He also said this was a tactical manoeuvre to delay the case.

In 2020, the four assemblymen – Zulkifli Ibrahim (Sungai Acheh), Dr Afif Bahardin (Seberang Jaya), Khaliq Mehtab Mohd Ishaq (Bertam) and Zolkifly Md Lazim (Telok Bahang) – had filed the OS against the two defendants to challenge the constitutionality of Article 14A(1) of the Penang state constitution, and to stop the four seats concerned from being declared vacant.

Article 14A of the state constitution stipulates that a state assemblyman should vacate his seat if he resigns, is stripped of his membership, ceases to be a politician, or is chosen as a candidate by another political party.

On April 12, Azizan allowed the defendant’s application to refer questions to the Federal Court to hear and decide on the constitutionality of the state’s anti-hopping enactment.

The state legislative assembly and its speaker wanted the Federal Court to decide on the question of whether Article 14A of the Penang state constitution was void as it was inconsistent with Article 10(1)(c) of the Federal Constitution.

The Federal Court, on Aug 3, ruled that Article 14A of the Penang state constitution was valid and consistent with Article 10(1)(c) of the Federal Constitution. - FMT