A WEAK federal government can bring about many reforms, including the passing of an anti-party hopping law, PKR’s Wong Chen said. 

He said because Putrajaya has a precarious majority, they have had to listen to and accommodate the opposition, as well as abide by the memorandum of understanding (MOU) inked with Pakatan Harapan (PH). 

“We have been brought up to believe a strong government is a good government. But to me, a weak government is a government that reflects diversity of views,” the Subang MP said. 

“A weak government, or a coalition government, may bring about the reforms we need,” he said at an anti-party hopping law conference held at Wisma Badan Peguam Malaysia today. 

Wong said passing legislation was tough owing to the amount of negotiation and compromise required, however, the current political situation was the ideal time to do so because no single party or coalition held sway. 

With the MOU on political stability agreed between the Ismail Sabri Yaakob-led government and PH scheduled to expire on July 31, he warned the clock is ticking on the passing of the anti-party hopping law. 

New Sin Yew of the Bar Council, another conference panellist, agreed that now was the time to approve the anti-party hopping bill, but highlighted that elected officials in Parliament must be conscious of the public’s feelings. 

“We must let our representatives know what we want and what empowers us as the rakyat,” he said, adding that it was unethical to remove the people from a process that involves their vote. 

One of the important components of the MOU that PH has been fighting for is an anti-party hopping statute. 

Ismail announced last month that a new law prohibiting MPs from switching parties would be introduced in Parliament in July. 

He stated that a parliamentary select committee would be formed to develop the anti-party hopping legislation, which would include members of the administration, opposition, and possibly academics with experience in the field. – May 9, 2022.