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By Karen Bong
KUCHING, July 14: The collaboration between Gabungan Parti Sarawak’s (GPS) component party Progressive Democratic Party (PDP) and opposition Parti Sarawak Bersatu (PSB) is legitimate and stands out as a prime example of cooperation within the boundaries of the anti-hopping law enforced since October 2022.
Senate Speaker Tan Sri Dr Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar said it is legitimate for two political parties to merge or collaborate to make one party without the elected members losing their seats in Parliament under the anti-hopping law.
The latest collaboration was solidified through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed by PDP president Dato Sri Tiong King Sing and PSB president Dato Sri Wong Soon Koh yesterday (July 13), following PDP’s Supreme Council Meeting held at a hotel in Kuala Lumpur.
“As far as the (anti-hopping) law is concerned, it is okay and legitimate. The elected members will not lose their seats (in the House of Representatives).
“Let’s say if the two parties (PDP and PSB) merge and lose their registrations (cancelled), they (elected members) do not lose their seats in Parliament as they do not resign (from the party),” he told DayakDaily when contacted.
Wan Junaidi pointed out that this principle would also apply to Sarawak Legislative Assembly (DUN) members if Sarawak’s anti-hopping law mirrors the amended provisions passed in the Parliament in July last year.
He further explained that this is a question of party transfers as a whole, unlike individual elected members resigning or switching (hopping) to another party as provided under a new Article 49A.
“So, it does not affect any members of the parties. Elected members will not lose their seats due to the merger or collaboration,” he added.
Under Article 49A of the anti-hopping law, certain exemptions exist for circumstances where members of Parliament (MP) are sacked from the parties, en-bloc defections, and post-election coalition agreements between parties.
However, Sri Aman MP and Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) women chief Dato Sri Doris Sophia Brodie expressed skeptism about the practical implementation of the collaboration between PDP and PSB.
“I believe the process will be cumbersome as both parties will need to hold EGM (Extraordinary General Meeting), the party constitution must be amended, ROS (Registrar of Society) will need to be informed, among other steps,” she said over a phone conversation. — DayakDaily
