Bersatu 4 defection: Bar president moots tightening anti-hopping law

 

Malaysian Bar Council president Karen Cheah Yee Lynn has proposed that the government refines the anti-hopping law amidst the political turmoil in Sabah following the defection of four MPs from the state Bersatu.

During a speech at the Opening of the Legal Year 2023 at Putrajaya International Convention Centre (PICC) today, Cheah said the constitutional amendment made last year was only designed to meet straightforward challenges known to Malaysians in the political scene at the time.

She said that prior to the anti-hopping amendments introduced to the Federal Constitution, the Bar had raised concerns with the Prime Minister’s Department in charge of Parliament and Law regarding possible abuses that could arise from purported resignations and expulsions from political parties.

“Since GE15, we have seen creative ways in which politicians (seek to) circumvent the current frame of the anti-hopping law.

“We are now faced with a new conundrum, with far more complex issues such as those hopping within a coalition of parties at one spectrum to a coalition of parties at the other end of the spectrum. The recent events in Sabah are clear examples of such new issues emerging before us.

“In this premise, we advocate legislative amendments be made to address the complexity of new situations brought to the forefront after GE15, to clarify and to counter possible abuse, so as to create a credible democratic process and a stable government,” Cheah (above) said.

On Dec 10 last year, it was reported that Sabah Bersatu collapsed as its state chief Hajiji Noor announced that its members had quit, with plans to form a new party. In the interim, he said, they will be members of the Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) coalition instead.

It was reported that this would put to test the anti-hopping law.

Matters in Sabah were further made complicated by an attempt to oust Hajiji as state chief minister. - Mkini