True to their nature, even though there is an anti-party-hopping law in force in Malaysia barring members of parliament (MPs)from switching parties, it looks like some politicians have found a creative way to "hop" over it!
According to a report in Sinar Daily, the speaker of the Dewan Rakyat Tan Sri Johari Abdul had said last Thursday that he had received an application for seating change in the Dewan Rakyat; this was from the four MPs from the opposition Perikatan Nasional bloc, who had recently expressed support for PM Anwar.
At a press conference at the Parliament building later on the same day, he had said that he would hold a meeting with the four MPs involved soon after the Deepavali holidays to discuss the matter.
For the record, recently, Datuk Iskandar Dzulkarnain Abdul Khalid (PN-Kuala Kangsar), Datuk Suhaili Abdul Rahman (PN-Labuan), Mohd Azizi Abu Naim (PN-Gua Musang) dan Zahari Kechik (PN-Jeli) had all expressed support for the Prime Minister's leadership; incidentally, all are from Bersatu!
According to Johari, the switch of support by the four MP had nothing to do with the Constitution (Amendment) (No.3) Act 2022 (Act A1663), which prohibits Members of the Dewan Rakyat from switching parties, which would then cause them to lose their seats in Parliament.
The Speaker explained that they can support secretly or declare openly, and the law does not restrict any person (MPs) from expressing support; as such, he said that the seats are not (considered) lost.
Johari added that there are only a few scenarios that would require an MP to vacate their seat, such as switching to another party, quitting their own party, or an independent MP joining a party.
Meanwhile, Bersatu Youth chief Wan Ahmad Fayhsal Wan Ahmad Kamal has reportedly declared the end of the political careers of the four MPs from his party who have decided to back PM Anwar.
He also reportedly questioned the timing of the MPs’ sudden switch of their loyalties, which was nearly a year after the 15th general election on November 19 last year; furthermore, he repeated allegations that the four MPs had received offers from several individuals whom the party believes has links with the ruling government.
Nevertheless, PM Anwar has denied any involvement in the MPs’ decision; this was after PN secretary-general Hamzah Zainudin had accused individuals linked to his administration of enticing Bersatu’s MPs to switch their allegiance with money and top positions in government-linked companies!
Then, more recently, as was reported by Astroawani, Deputy PM Ahmad Zahid Hamidi also “hopped” into the subject by predicting that more opposition Members of Parliament were expected to declare their support for Prime Minister Anwar.
Interestingly, Ahmad Zahid revealed that most of the MPs who have expressed support were former UMNO members; he added that discussions would be held with leaders at the division level to assess whether they can return to the party or not.
Meanwhile, even as the Dewan Rakyat Speaker starts to rack his brains after Deepavali to weigh his options and come to a decision, it may not necessarily be the end of his “headache!"
After all, Malaysian politicians are renowned the world over, for having perfected the art of doing the impossible; so, how if after successfully switching their seats in parliament this time round, how if in future, they re-apply to "hop back" to their original seat?
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