ANTI-PARTY HOPPING ACT NEEDS TO BE TIGHTEN - MOHAMAD HASAN

KOTA TINGGI, July 13 (Bernama) -- The Anti-Party Hopping Act should be reviewed to overcome the existing loopholes thus preventing Members of Parliament or Members of the State Assembly (ADUN) from jumping to the opposing party.

UMNO deputy president Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan said the matter should be done to ensure that the country is not thrown into disarray by the actions of politicians who prioritise personal interests rather than empowering the government after being elected by the people.

"If it is not studied, we can do a recall process like in England. This happens when there are members of parliament who are not aligned with the party, the voters in that area can hold a referendum and if they get more than 50 per cent support, the seat has to be vacated and the election held again," he said.

He told reporters after officiating the Tenggara UMNO division delegates’ meeting at Felda Sungai Sayong here today, which was also attended by Tenggara UMNO division chief Datuk Seri Dr Adham Baba.

Yesterday, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim was reported as saying that the government is open to holding discussions to fix the loopholes that exist in the Constitution (Amendment) Act (No. 3) 2022 (Act A1663) or the Anti-Party Hopping Act.

Anwar who is also Pakatan Harapan (PH) chairman was quoted as saying that in 2022, his party had proposed that an amendment to the act be made, but was rejected by the government at that time.

Meanwhile, commenting on Dewan Rakyat Speaker Tan Sri Johari Abdul's decision to retain the positions of six former Bersatu MPs, Mohamad said the matter was under the jurisdiction of the Dewan Rakyat Speaker.

"That's the power of the speaker... we have a separation of powers, in Parliament the speaker has power and the same in the State Assembly. That's why when this case was brought to court, the court informed them not to interfere because this is a legislative matter, not a judicial one. ," he said.

In another development, Mohamad who is also the deputy chairman of Barisan Nasional (BN) said he is ready to defend the position of deputy president of UMNO if the position is contested in the next election.

"I will defend it, we fight together, winning and losing is normal in the family. The leadership selection process is a common practice in any organization, including UMNO.

"This is a process to choose the best from the good, so it is up to the party members to make the selection so that the party will continue to be led as well as possible in order to face the election," he said.

-- BERNAMA