KUALA LUMPUR (CNA) – An amendment to Malaysia’s Federal Constitution was tabled in Parliament yesterday, the first step to enable an anti-party hopping law to come to fruition.
When tabling the Bill at a special Lower House sitting, de facto law minister Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar proposed to add a clause under Article 10 of the Federal Constitution to allow the enactment of federal laws to restrict the right to form associations in relation to membership in a political party by state and federal elected representatives.
Voting on the constitutional amendment will take place on a later date, as agreed by the opposition coalition Pakatan Harapan (PH) and Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob in a meeting yesterday.
Wan Junaidi said that the government and PH agreed on three points during the meeting, the first being refining the definition of defection. They also agreed to abolish a constitutional clause that disqualifies those who resigned as an MP from being a member of the House of Representatives again for five years.
The third point is to formulate a specific law to prevent MPs from switching parties.
“The matter will be submitted for the discussion and consideration of a select committee appointed by this House,” Wan Junaidi said.
