THE PAS “sumpah baiah” is better than any man-made law to prevent party hopping, party president Abdul Hadi Awang said to day.

Speaking at the party annual congress in Alor Star, Hadi said told PAS members to rely on the oath rather than the law tabled by the government recently to curb defections. 

“This oath goes beyond any law to uphold integrity; it is more efficient than the anti-party hopping law.”

“PAS should receive more trust because the oath is much greater than a law that has an expiry date,” he said.

However, he said members who lacked integrity would still leave the party when they are unable to stand the heat, he added.

The Islamist party has employed the religious oath for years to prevent elected representatives from leaving.

However in 2013, a group of progressive members led by then deputy president Mohamad Sabu left the party to form Amanah.

Kuala Nerus MP Mohd Kharuddin Aman Razali was the latest member to leave the party after being sacked.

On July 28, the Dewan Rakyat passed a constitutional amendment bill that to prevent an MP from switching party mid-term.

The bill stipulates that an MP will cease to be a member of the Dewan Rakyat when they cease to be a member of the party on which ticket they stood on for election. – September 2, 2022.