PASSAGE of the anti-party hopping law in time for the general election will encourage more Malaysians to vote, Bar Council president Karen Cheah said.

A political financing law is also required to allow for an equal playing field, Cheah said.

These two laws will prevent another coup such as the Sheraton Move from taking place while also reducing voter apathy, she added.

“Our goal should be to push forward the anti-party hopping law because there is sufficient political will to make those changes and we should seek the opportunity to make those changes right now,” Cheah told The Malaysian Insight.

“That’s very important because of the upcoming general election. But over and above that, we should also be looking at political financing laws as well, which is also under discussion and we hope there will also be sufficient political will to get this done prior to GE15.”

Last week, law minister Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar said the anti-party hopping law framework was ready and that the select committee in charge of constitutional amendments has asked the Attorney-General’s Chambers to draft the bill.

The bill is one of the terms of a memorandum of understanding between Putrajaya and Pakatan Harapan (PH) signed on September 13.

Since 2018, 39 MPs have switched allegiances, leading to the fall of the federal and state governments. Arguably the most famous manoeuvre of them all, the Sheraton Move saw the PH government ousted after 22 months.

Reforms will reduce voter apathy, which will contribute to low voter turnout, she said.

“We would like the voters to have the last say, (to vote) for the person, the party that will lead the government,” she said.

“We would not want to see another Sheraton Move because (that takes the) decision away from the voters. That anti-party hopping law is very important for us.

“Political financing is also important because it provides an equal playing field for political parties and even independents who are going to come into the fray during the GE.

“It means that there will be sufficient guidelines in place on how monies are supposed to come in, spent and every candidate would be able to follow the guidelines. It provides a safe environment for all who are going to be in the government system.”

The existence of the two laws will reassure Malaysians that their vote matters.

The March Johor elections saw a voter turnout of 54.92%, comparied to 60.67% in the Sarawak and 65.85% in the Malacca polls

Need for IPCMC 

Cheah was recently elected the new Bar president, replacing A.G. Kalidas.

Cheah also wants to champion the Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission (IPCMC).

“Apart from all those reforms, we are trying to push for the establishment of the IPCMC. It’s been something that we have been advocating for more than 10 years and we hope that it will get somewhere.

“The incidents over the years have shown there is a real need for an independent body such as the IPCMC with enough powers to investigate possible wrongdoings, especially now, with the (high) number of deaths in custody.

“(Wrongdoing could occur at) meetings or clashes between the police and the citizens. It could even be during arrests,” she said.

The IPCMC was proposed in 2005 to replace the enforcement agency integrity commission as a way to raise the transparency and accountability in the police force. The bill was tabled in July 2019.

In August last year, the Perikatan Nasional administration replaced the IPCMC bill with the independent police conduct commission bill.

The amended bill parks the police oversight board under the Home Ministry, allowing the home minister to monitor its work. – May 18, 2022.