Datuk Seri Panglima Masidi Manjun
KOTA KINABALU (July 31): Tabling the anti-party hopping bill for the State Legislative Assembly to pass is merely a question of when, said Local Government and Housing Minister Datuk Seri Panglima Masidi Manjun.
“Obviously the various component parties have to sit down and decide. I don’t see how it cannot be accommodated. It’s a question of when… whether we need to call an assembly to have a special session just for this (to table the bill), or perhaps we can consider having it passed during the budget session in November or December.
“We have no problem as far as the State Government is concerned,” he said when commenting on Parti Bersatu Sabah’s (PBS) call for the Sabah government to table an anti-party hopping bill for the Sabah State Legislative Assembly to pass within 60 days after the Warrior’s Day celebration and launching of the National Day Month and Fly the Jalur Gemilang programme at Padang Merdeka here on Sunday.
The Dewan Rakyat recently passed the anti-party hopping bill with the support of 209 members of parliament (MPs).
Masidi welcomed the anti-party hopping law as it would ensure the stability of the government.
He said party switching was often one of the factors that caused the collapse of an existing government and rise of a new government.
He pointed out that party hopping has led to the end of the previous government in 2018, and then the same tactic was employed to form a new government.
“We hope this Act will put an end to party hopping episodes that could cause the downfall of an elected government in an undemocratic manner.
“We in Sabah welcome this (anti-party hopping law).”
Masidi said the State Government has no objection to tabling the anti-party hopping bill in Sabah.
“I think it is high time for us to establish some form of predictability in governing in Sabah politics.”
Nevertheless, he said there is no law to compel state assemblies to table and pass the bill within 60 days.
“I think we should leave it to the decision of the respective state governments.
“As far as Sabah is concerned, and even probably Sarawak, we know what we should be doing.
“I think nobody should be dictating us when to do it.
“For all we know, it could be less than 60 days.”
The intention of four states to amend their respective state constitutions to enable the Constitution (Amendment) Bill (No. 3) 2022 to be enforced at the state level is a healthy step towards strengthening democracy.
Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Parliament and Law), Datuk Seri Dr Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar on Saturday said that he had been informed Sabah, Selangor, Penang and Negeri Sembilan would amend their respective state constitutions to enable the Constitution (Amendment) Bill (No. 3) 2022 to be enforced at the state level.
He said when the law is being enforced later, it does not compel any state to adopt it but they are given freedom whether they want to follow the move or not.
Sarawak Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Minister Datuk Seri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah had said that Sarawak does not need its own anti-hopping law because the Election Act was a federal matter.
Senior Minister of Works Dato Sri Fadillah Yusof said the anti-hopping law is actually already one of the provisions in the Sarawak state constitution.
However, he pointed out it could not be enforced before due to the court case in Kelantan which said the provision was ‘not legal’ as it was contradictory to the federal constitution.