ANN/THE STAR – The move by opposition Members of Parliament (MPs) to declare their support for Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim will not cause them to lose their seats, said Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution.
The Pakatan Harapan (PH) secretary-general said according to the Anti-Party Hopping Act, only MPs who join another party or declare themselves as an Independent MP will lose their seats.
“I sat on this committee when it was drafted, representing PH together with Gobind Singh Deo and (Mohamed) Hanipa Maidin, PH’s stance is that the actions of MPs acting against the decision of the party whip in the House is considered a loss of seat and a by-election should be held.
“These contradicting actions include matters such as a budget vote, a no-confidence motion and any bill that affects the government’s position. MP who are dismissed by the party for violating the party’s discipline and constitution (also) are considered to have lost their seats,” he said in a post on Facebook yesterday.
However, Saifuddin said PH’s stance and proposal at that time was not agreed by Perikatan Nasional (PN) represented by Hamzah Zainudin and Takiyuddin Hassan.
“Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar as the chairman proposes that only the proposal that gets the consensus of all parties will be included (into the act).
“At the end of the day, what is the situation for MPs to lose their seats? Declaration of joining another party, declaration of becoming an Independent MP. Declaration of support for the Prime Minister? No loss of seats. That’s it,” he said.
The media reported on Friday that Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) proposed that the Anti-Party Hopping Act which has been approved by Parliament be reviewed because it is alleged that there are weaknesses, especially involving the situation of members of the party who acted to support the unity government.
