PRIME Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob has tabled anti-party hopping (APH) constitutional amendments in the Dewan Rakyat. 

During the tabling, Ismail said the APH amendments are important to preserve political stability in Malaysia. 

“This is because party-hopping itself undermines voters’ mandate,” the Bera lawmaker told the Dewan Rakyat today.

According to Ismail, the amendments came from the bipartisan special select committee that was appointed during a special parliament sitting on April 11. 

“After much consultation and meetings with stakeholders, MPs and the cabinet, the government has decided on a one-step approach,” said Ismail.

This means the government will only table amendments to stop party-hopping and not have an additional set of laws to stop the activity, said the prime minister. 

This is the second time Ismail’s government is tabling APH amendments after parliament voted to send the bill to a special select committee on April 11.  

Among the Federal Constitution amendments that were tabled are: 

– Introduction of Article 49A, which expressly states the conditions that cause a parliamentary seat to be vacated immediately, including when an MP resigns from a party or an independent joins one after winning on an independent ticket. 

– Repeal of Article 48(6) that prohibits MPs from contesting in elections for five years if they resign from their parliamentary seats.

– Amendment to Article 160 to redefine the meaning of political parties so coalition-hopping can also be prohibited.

– Amendment to the Eighth Schedule so the same prohibitions can be instituted at state legislative assemblies.

According to Ismail, the amendments are not retrospective and will only be effective after they are gazetted. 

Dewan Rakyat Speaker Azhar Azizan Harun allocated 600 minutes for the debate.

“I hope we can finish 35 by 8.30pm tonight and another 15 to 20 tomorrow,” said Azhar. 

After the 2018 elections, more than 50 federal and state lawmakers defected from their parties, causing as many as seven changes to the federal and state governments. 

This is the third constitutional amendment since the 2018 elections. The first was for Undi18 and the second was to restore the statuses of Sabah and Sarawak in the constitution.

The APH amendments are one of the key conditions in the memorandum of understanding between the Ismail administration and Pakatan Harapan. – July 27, 2022.