KOTA KINABALU: Sabah, a state where party hopping has seen the rise and fall of state governments over five decades, must adopt the anti-crossover laws into the constitution, says Datuk Seri Dr Maximus Ongkili.
The Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) president said the Gabungan Rakyat Sabah-led state government must pass the state’s Anti-Hopping Law within 60 days.
“This needs to be done within the next two months, and our seven PBS assemblymen are ready to lead in the tabling of the law at the state assembly,” he said in a statement Thursday (July 28).
His statement comes shortly after Dewan Rakyat passed the anti-party hopping Bill with the 209 MPs present giving their approval.
Ongkili said it was necessary for the Sabah and Sarawak state assemblies to follow suit as the Federal anti-hopping law did not apply to the two states.
"Sabah and Sarawak need to table the law at their respective state levels," he added.
Describing the passing of the law as a "dream come true," Ongkili, who is Kota Marudu MP, said PBS had been pushing it for the last 37 years.
“The passing of the Bill in Dewan Rakyat is a recognition of the party’s struggle to ensure political stability not only for the state but the country,” he said.
During the PBS-rule between 1985 and 1994, the state government passed an anti-hopping law in 1988 but the enactment could not be enforced after the Federal Court ruled that assemblymen had the right to freedom of association.
The enactment was repealed from the state constitution in 1995 when Barisan Nasional took over the state government.
PBS then president Tan Sri Joseph Pairin Kitingan was forced to resign as chief minister after the February 1994 state elections when several PBS assemblymen crossed over to Barisan just three weeks after the party retained the state government.
Ongkili said PBS had always opposed party hopping, describing the frog-leaping tradition as sinful and unprincipled politics.
“To us, it is evil, unfair, devoid of good ethics and manners.
“PBS tried to put a stop to party hopping by passing a law in the state legislature in 1988 to prevent assemblymen from defecting but it was declared null and void by the High Court.
"We were lonely in this struggle, but now all our hard work paid off,” said the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Sabah and Sarawak Affairs).
Since the first state government in 1967, crossovers have seen the rise of Usno and the fall of Upko and subsequently the strengthening of the Berjaya-led government with Usno assemblymen joining them after 1976.
After the May 2018 General Election, Parti Warisan led by Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal came to power with Barisan assemblymen crossing floors.
But, the assemblymen crossed back in a bid led by former chief minister Tan Sri Musa Aman to retake the state government.
Shafie, however, called for snap elections in September 2020 but lost the state government to the 10-party GRS coalition.
Even after election, six Warisan assemblymen crossed over to support GRS while two DAP assemblymen quit their party before joining Warisan.
Ongkili said since the first Upko assemblyman moved to cross into Usno under Tun Datu Mustapha Harun, it became a “tradition” for assemblymen to crossover and has triggered political instability for the state.
