Umno Can T Use Anti Hopping Law To Strip Zafrul S Senatorship

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Umno is asking its legal experts to find ways to strip Tengku Zafrul Abdul Aziz of his senatorship, particularly through the country’s anti-hopping law.
ADSThis is after Zafrul quit Umno and is looking to join PKR - a move which reduces Umno’s representation in the cabinet.
There’s just one problem. The anti-hopping law, which Umno helped design, doesn’t apply to senators.
The constitutional provision under Article 49A specifically spells out that party hopping is only punished when it happens in the “Dewan Rakyat” or “House of Representatives” as it is called in the supreme document.
The Senate is called as such in the Constitution, or Dewan Negara in the Malay copy.
“No (it can’t be used against senators), Section 49A refers to Dewan Rakyat members, not to senators,” lawyer New Sin Yew told Malaysiakini when asked to confirm how the anti-hopping law works.
The Dewan Negara, or Senate, in ParliamentSenatorships enjoy fixed terms of three years each, up to two terms, under the Constitution.
Their terms are not affected by the dissolution of Parliament.
Lawyer GK Ganesan posited in 2018 that perhaps the only way to oust a living senator is through the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.
With no legal avenue to oust Zafrul, Umno may have to resort to political pressure if it wants Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim to restore balance and Umno’s quota in the cabinet.
Anwar, however, has said that he wants to keep Zafrul as the investment, trade, and industry minister, citing the latter’s performance in bringing in billions of investments to the country.
Zafrul was first appointed as senator in March 2020 by the Muhyiddin Yassin government.
ADSAt the time, he was not an active member of any party.
However, in 2022, he became an active Umno member - a party which he claimed to have joined in 1997.
He then resigned as senator in October 2022 to contest for the Kuala Selangor parliamentary seat, but lost.
The Dewan Rakyat, or House of Representatives, in ParliamentHe was then reappointed as senator again in December that year when Anwar brought him into the cabinet.
He later contested and won a position in Umno’s supreme council in March 2023.
A year later, however, his relationship with the party began to sour, leading to his resignation as Selangor Umno treasurer in April 2024.
He began expressing an interest in joining PKR later that year, before finally pulling the trigger and quitting Umno on Friday.
However, Anwar, who is the PKR president, said the party has not yet discussed accepting Zafrul’s membership application. - Mkini

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