Refine Anti Hopping Law Extend It To Sabah Urges Shafie

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PARLIAMENT | Putrajaya has been urged to extend the anti-hopping law to Sabah in order to preserve political stability.
Mohd Shafie Apdal (Warisan-Semporna) said the anti-hopping law also needs to be refined and improved.
“Political stability is one of the important things in our country in order to birth this country as a solid platform for us to execute this RM380 billion (budget).
“The existing anti-hopping law, in my opinion, the act could be improved in order to make it better. Individuals cannot jump (parties) but parties can jump (allegiance). So this needs to be refined.
“I hope the anti-hopping law can also be extended to the state level in Sabah. Why don’t we work together? I am among those who signed to support the (federal) government,” Shafie (above) said in his speech debating Budget 2023 in the Dewan Rakyat today.
The Warisan president pointed to his own party’s situation in Sabah, which previously had 23 assemblypersons.
That number has since gone down to 15, he said, due to elected representatives jumping parties.
“But it’s okay. I don’t want to focus on that. What is important is we have to move forward for the country and for the people.
“If I were to think (about those who jumped parties), I would not be able to sleep... I worked so hard, spending money, spending effort and so on, and (they) say they will live and die with Warisan but then (they) disappear.
“I urge the government (which) talks about unity, but in Sabah, it is also important, my people have been bought,” Shafie claimed.
Sabah party-hopping
Though the Dewan Rakyat passed an amendment to the Federal Constitution to prevent lawmakers from switching parties, Sabah has yet to enact any anti-party-hopping legislation.
Upko president Ewon Benedick previously proposed an anti-hopping bill to be tabled at the Sabah state assembly sitting in March this year, also citing the need for political stability.
Upko president Ewon BenedickSince the 2020 Sabah state election, a number of Warisan assemblypersons have left the party.
The latest to leave in February this year were Mohammad Mohamarin (Banggi), Norazlina Arif (Kunak), and Chong Chen Bin (Tanjong Kapor), who then threw their support behind Chief Minister Hajiji Noor as independents.
This leaves the state opposition with just 32 seats in the 79-member assembly. It was previously reported that this includes 16 from Warisan.
Warisan vice-president Junz Wong has since urged the MACC to initiate investigations into the matter, claiming one of the defectors openly admitted to being offered positions and huge sums of money to quit the party.
The move by the three state legislators came about a month after Sabah experienced a political crisis that saw Hajiji survive an attempt to overthrow him after Sabah BN under Bung Moktar Radin withdrew support.
In the midst of the political turmoil in Sabah, Warisan’s Tungku assemblyperson Assafal P Alian also called for the enactment of an anti-hopping law in the state. - Mkini

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