Commentary by Mustafa K. Anuar

MALAYSIANS, particularly politicians who advocate the initiative to prevent political defections, were hopping mad when told that the tabling of the much-awaited “anti-party hopping” bill would be delayed.

De facto law minister Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar revealed that the bill, scheduled to be presented in Parliament on April 11, would be deferred because certain quarters in the government were not agreeable to particular provisions in the legislation, one of which is the definition of “party hopping”. 

The Santubong MP also expressed his own frustration over this delay after eight months of preparation.

It was also reported that the government would instead table on April 11 a constitutional amendment to enable “anti-party hopping” legislation.

The postponement has understandably angered the opposition given that the memorandum of understanding that was clinched between itself and the government includes an item on crafting an anti-party hopping law during the first parliamentary session of this year.  

Voices against this deferment were also strident among politicians in Umno, a number of whose politicians had in recent years jumped into rival parties.

Senior Umno politician Shahrir Abdul Samad, for example, was cutting in his criticism of the postponement, training his eyes on the so-called political frogs from his own party.

The former Johor Baru MP accused those who defected from Umno and are now in the government, of being not happy with the proposed bill because they presently gain and enjoy influence and power, which he termed “rezeki” (sustenance).

But what is ironic is that he had criticised such politicians whose newly embraced parties were in cahoots with Umno when they toppled the Pakatan Harapan government in 2020 in the first place.

This brings us to the crux of the matter. Party-hopping has become a significant factor in Malaysian politics over the years to such an extent that it had brought about political instability in the country, as exemplified by the Sheraton Move and subsequently its derivatives in certain state governments.

The Muhyiddin Yassin administration walked on thin ice, and consequently was short-lived after Umno politicians in the government pulled their support for Muhyiddin – only to be replaced by an Umno-led one.

Party-hopping also gives rise to the betrayal of the mandate given by the constituents concerned, which is clearly disturbing.  

We also notice a high price had to be paid by the ordinary people in the wake of party- hopping.

Inducements, such as plum positions with handsome salaries and perks in the bloated federal cabinet as well as government-linked companies, were offered to those who made the leap even though a number of them were incompetent. 

This obviously has caused a tremendous bleeding in government coffers, as well as poor governance. 

Party-hopping used to be a novelty that elicited a chuckle or two among Malaysians, what with the likes of politician Ibrahim Ali. But it no longer became a laughing matter when some politicians decided to outdo the former Pasir Mas MP, with principles callously thrown out the window.

So, even though an anti-party hopping law is rightly a concern among certain quarters because they consider it as a violation of freedom of association, as enshrined in article 10 of our Federal Constitution, it appears that such a law has increasingly become a necessary evil in the interest of the country’s political stability and progress.

Having said that, the concern raised by Petaling Jaya MP Maria Chin Abdullah should also be taken into consideration in the debate. 

She feared that the anti-party hopping bill might give too much power to political parties and their leaders who would be inclined, for instance, to sack a lawmaker for merely voting out of conscience against the party’s wishes.

If the definition of “party-hopping” has become a nagging problem, the discussion should then be brought to Parliament so as to ensure that MPs from all parties are involved in the endeavour to grapple with that concept.

Pasir Gudang MP Hassan Abdul Karim had already called on the government to table the bill so that lawmakers could then deliberate on the issue.   

It’s time that barriers were placed against “party-hopping”, and hoppers got themselves properly identified. – April 9, 2022.