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KUCHING – The Sarawak attorney-general will study the next steps to be taken following the adoption of anti-party hopping laws by the Dewan Rakyat on Thursday, Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu Sarawak senior vice-president Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof said.
He said this was because Sarawak already has a provision on anti-party hopping in the state’s constitution.
However, the provision could not be implemented as it goes against the federal constitution, Fadillah, who is Works Minister and Petra Jaya MP, said.
“So when the federal constitution was amended (recently), the (state’s anti-party hopping) provision may now be enforced.
“It is now up to the Sarawak government to study whether to bring it in line with the law adopted at the federal level or contend with what it already has. This needs further legal study,” he told reporters after attending the opening ceremony of the Board of Engineers Malaysia secretariat office here today.
The Constitution (Amendment) Bill (No. 3) 2022 on provisions prohibiting MPs from switching parties was approved by a two-thirds majority on Thursday.
In Kangar, Perlis Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Azlan Man also said that the state legal adviser’s views will be sought on whether there is a provision in the state constitution to implement anti-party hopping laws.
“The bill approved by the Dewan Rakyat is comprehensive and can be used by all states, so I think there is no problem in implementing it at the state level, but we will carry out a detailed study first.
“If necessary, maybe we will only make improvements to the state constitution and if it is not, we will introduce a new enactment that is in line with it,” he told reporters after the launch of the state-level 2022 National Month and Fly the Jalur Gemilang campaign here today.
In Kota Belud, Warisan president Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal said similar efforts to introduce anti-party hopping laws must be done in Sabah as party hopping has become rampant, leading to changes in the state and federal governments.
He said although the bill passed on Thursday probably requires further improvements, particularly where clarity on its provisions was concerned, the achievement by federal lawmakers was still a good start in curbing party hopping.
“Warisan will study the party constitution to ensure our struggles are in line with the bill and the federal constitution,” the former Sabah chief minister and Semporna MP told reporters here today. – Bernama, July 30, 2022