By Karen Bong
KUCHING, July 28: Hulu Rajang MP Datuk Wilson Ugak Kumbong has proposed imposing a penalty of between RM5-RM10 million on party hoppers under the proposed anti-party hopping law.
While debating the said Bill in Dewan Rakyat in Kuala Lumpur today, Ugak pointed out that a penalty rate should be determined and included as a provision in the Constitution (Amendment) Bill (No.3) 2022 which aims to prohibit elected representatives from changing parties.
“This amount is big but I believe the people’s mandate is bigger than this. The purpose of imposing a penalty is to teach politicians a lesson that the people’s mandate and trust should not be taken for granted by jumping here and there.
“At the same time, the Election Commission (EC) can also use this money to conduct a by-election. The cost of implementing a by-election or a general election is not cheap. It costs millions of ringgit.
“This is the people’s money. I’m sure the voters will be angry if the country’s money is used to satisfy the lust of certain politicians.
“While this may seem complicated and technical, I hope my proposal can be considered and refined,” he said.
Ugak also revealed that according to a study conducted in 2019, a total of 41 out of 193 countries in the world have implemented an anti-party hopping law and this illustrated that the phenomenon of elected representatives jumping party is a global issue that must be addressed through legislation.
In comparison with neighbouring countries in the Southeast Asia region, he said that Malaysia can be considered a country facing serious problems with party hoppers.
“If we look at the political scenarios in our neighbouring countries, I did not find news of Indonesian Members of Parliament (MP) jumping parties, while there is no such issue in Singapore.
“This is because the law in Malaysia is not strict enough with the practice of the defecting party treated as a freedom of association (matter) enshrined in the Federal Constitution,” he said.
This party-hopping problem, he stressed, will smear the country’s image not only in the eyes of Asean but also at the international level.
“This shows that the country’s democratic process is on the worst track with Malaysia currently at the lowest point in terms of a mature parliamentary democratic system,” he added. — DayakDaily
