WARISAN is against party-hopping but still needs to study the bill to be tabled by the Sabah government to prevent assemblymen from switching parties, party chief Mohd Shafie Apdal said.

He said Warisan wanted to scrutinise the bill to ensure it could bring political stability to Sabah if it were passed and enforced.

“We do not want people to say Warisan does not support the bill. We want it to be implemented as soon as possible but still we need to know what is contained in the bill,” he told a press conference in Kota Kinabalu today.

Yesterday, Chief Minister Hajiji Noor reportedly said Sabah government would table the anti-party hopping bill at the four-day sitting of the state assembly, which began today.

Shafie said to prevent party hopping, Warisan had proposed that article 17 of the Sabah State Constitution be amended by adding articles 17A and 17B and that it should be enforced immediately.

He said article 17A, among other things, would require a state assemblyman who switched parties or resigned from his party to vacate his seat.

“The same applies to an independent candidate who after getting elected as an assemblyman, joins a political party. An assemblyman need not vacate his seat if his party is dissolved or deregistered, or he resigns when elected as speaker,” he said.

IN PENAMPANG, Parti Kesejahteraan Demokratik Malaysia (KDM) president Peter Anthony said the party was keeping an open mind on its former deputy president Juil Nuatim’s decision to leave the party.

“We wish him all the best if that is what he has decided. We have no problems with that as anyone is free to decide their own direction in a democratic country. Our relations are still good,” he told a press conference today.

When announcing his decision yesterday, Limbahau assemblyman Nuatim said he is now an Independent supporting the leadership of Hajiji.

Nuatim said he had no misunderstandings with Anthony and his decision was spurred by his desire to bring development to his constituency.

Anthony, who is Melalap assemblyman, said prior to making his announcement, Nuatim did not submit any resignation letter or discuss the matter with the party.

In the 16th Sabah elections in 2020, Nuatim won the Limbahau seat on a Warisan ticket but quit the party in December 2021.

Meanwhile, Anthony said KDM is firm in its decision to support the federal unity government and the Sabah administration.

He also said the party would support the anti-party hopping bill to put an end to the problem of party hopping in Sabah. – Bernama, May 22, 2023.