THE anti-party hopping bill passed yesterday was lauded all round, with Pengerang MP Azalina Othman Said today calling it as a chance to reset the political culture.

The Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections (Bersih), however, said the bill was far from complete and that “there is still room for improvement”.

The law will signal a new beginning for politics in which elected representatives put voters before personal interest and gains, Umno’s Azalina said in a statement.

“We now have a chance to reset, and to act in ways that bring about a culture of political integrity, trust between voters and their elected representatives, and a culture of accountability.

“This is a chance to reinstate the true meaning of democracy – one where the voice of voters are respected,” she added.

Bersih, while welcoming the law which it said was long overdue, said more reforms were needed.

The group said the law should be regarded as “the first step to ensure the enactment of new legislations that are more progressive, just and sustainable to face future political challenges”.

Bersih said it had identified “at least two shortcomings” in the law which it suggested should be addressed in the future.

It said the first is the law did not address the issue of parties changing coalitions after an election.

It cited the defection of Bersatu from Pakatan Harapan post-2018 general election as a prime example of a problem that needs fixing.

Bersih said MPs sacked by their parties are another issue the bill has not solved..

The bill states that MPS sacked by their parties will not have to automatically vacate their seats.

Bersih said the exclusion would weaken the law because “MPs who betray their parties will not resign but wait to be sacked so they can maintain their seat in parliament”.

Bersih reiterated the recall law is still the best mechanism to deal with the phenomenon of party-hopping.

Under law, MPs who are sacked from the parties do not have to vacate his seat. It is the voters who decide whether the MP should resign his constituency in a recall election.

“Such legislation would further empower voters to hold their elected representatives accountable as the grounds for recall are not necessarily limited to party-hopping.”

On proposed “structural political reforms”, Bersih asked both the government and the opposition to consider setting up an equitable constituency development fund (CDF) for all elected representatives, limiting the number of ministers and deputies, prohibiting all MPs from holding positions in government-linked companies, empowering and emancipating parliament and the state assemblies, as well as reforming the office of the attorney-general to halt selective prosecutions.

“Even though we have anti-party hopping legislation, Bersih is cognisant that it will not have the full desired impact if voters still regard their elected representatives as social welfare officers instead of… lawmakers in the Dewan Rakyat. 

“With such a mindset, party hoppers who align themselves with the government will continue to win the by-elections because of the bigger allocations at their disposal for their voters.”

The anti-party hopping bill was passed in parliament yesterday. It had the vote of all the 209 MPs who were present. 

The Constitutional (Amendment) Bill 2022 was tabled for a first reading on April 11.

As it took some flak from lawmakers on both sides of the political divide, the bill was referred to a special parliamentary select committee (SPSC) for further scrutiny before it was brought before the house again.

On Wednesday, Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob tabled the bill for a second reading. – July 29, 2022.