SERIAN, March 2: Democratic Action Party (DAP) Serian challenges the Perikatan Nasional (PN) government to table an anti-hopping bill in Parliament.
Its chief Brolin Nicholsion in a statement opined that it is time for PN to table such a bill in Parliament to end the defection of elected representatives which can lead to political instability.
“By tabling the anti-hopping bill in Parliament, it can end all the drama and give the government less time to think about majority support they have (in Parliament) and focus on the wellbeing of the rakyat,” said Brolin who is also the special assistant to Sarawak DAP chief Chong Chieng Jen.
Brolin said since the announcement by Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin that Parliament may be convened during an emergency, Malaysians have witnessed “three elected reps defected to betray their parties and did not respect the electorate decision that have voted them in”.
“A government that really cares about the wellbeing of the people and the economy will put the matter (introducing anti-hopping bill) as their priority and will (do) less politicking in order to gain the public’s confidence.
“It’s by tabling the anti-hopping act (bill), (that) we can stabilise our country’s politics and will gain the trust from investors to invest in our country as political stability is a crucial prerequisite for the proper functioning of a parliamentary government,” said Brolin.
He lamented the number of defections in Malaysia’s history since independence compared to the United Kingdom where one does not see democratically elected representatives shifting their allegiance as frequently.
“But the question now is, (does) the current government have the guts to table the law (bill) when they have a razor-thin majority in Parliament?” Brolin questioned.
Citing a statement by the Malaysian Bar dated Aug 3, 2020, Brolin stressed that anti-hopping laws are very much required in order to enhance political stability, public confidence in the democratic process, and respect for the decision made by the electorate. — DayakDaily
