KUALA LUMPUR: The amendment to the Federal Constitution to create a provision prohibiting members of the Dewan Rakyat from changing parties, or party-hopping, which was passed on Thursday (July 28) has been described as a great victory for the people, thus guaranteeing political and economic stability.
Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM) International Studies Centre lecturer Prof Dr Mohd Azizuddin Mohd Sani said the historic decision, which was supported by a majority of MPs was very significant for the people in ensuring that every vote given to them is not betrayed after the election.
According to him, the amendment also means that the people now no longer have to be the victims and be impacted, directly or indirectly, due to the actions of 'political frogs' that lead to political instability.
“We have faced a situation where the government and prime minister changed in a short period of time. This is something we have never experienced before, (caused by) among other things, party-hopping.
“This has created political and economic instability. This amendment is very significant ahead of the 15th General Election (GE15). Now, we just have to wait for the process to be gazetted as a law, and I expect we will be able to implement it by January next year,“ he told Bernama.
Through bloc voting, 209 out of the 220 MPs voted in favour of the Constitution (Amendment) Bill (No. 3) 2022, while 11 others were absent.
Among other things, according to the amendment, if an MP quits a political party in a coalition and joins another political party in the same or a different coalition party, the individual involved will cease to be a member of the Dewan Rakyat and will have to vacate the seat.
In addition, MPs who are not members of any political party and form a coalition of political parties, are also considered to have changed parties if they leave the coalition.
In addition, Mohd Azizuddin said the new provision is expected to create a political environment that is more mature in Malaysia, as well as address the issue of money politics, which is often associated with party-hopping when elected representatives prioritise personal interests.
According to him, when the amendment is gazetted later, it will not be easily changed because it will require the support of two-thirds of the members of the Dewan Rakyat and Dewan Negara.
Meanwhile, political sociology lecturer from the School of Social Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), Prof Dr Sivamurugan Pandian, is of the view that the amendment is the first phase to enriching the democratic process and for better political structure.
He said in order to complete the 'recipe', the focus now needs to be on making similar amendments at the state level, to ensure that the matter applies to State Legislative Assembly members (assemblymen), and then to enact a political funding law as soon as possible.
“This can restore the people's trust in elected representatives, who were previously willing to abandon their principles, and we can all move forward through this amendment. This depends a lot on implementation, and after that, we can look at improvements,” he said.
In the meantime, Sivamurugan said the constitutional amendment is a legacy of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob's government, as a result of political determination towards political transformation efforts, as stipulated in the memorandum of understanding on Transformation and Political Stability between the federal government and Pakatan Harapan (PH).
“For the people who are tired of 'politicking', (they) can now heave a sigh of relief,” he said.-Bernama