Be present and support anti-hop law, GRS deputy sec-gen tells Sabah reps

KOTA KINABALU: All political parties in Sabah should not play the "victim or be holier than thou" political card as the state assembly makes a historic move to table the anti-hopping law on Thursday (May 25).

Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) deputy secretary-general Armizan Mohd Ali said all parties including opposition Parti Warisan and Sabah Barisan Nasional should participate in supporting the anti-hopping law.

They should avoid playing politics about being victims of party hopping as every party and politician in Sabah had either risen or fallen due to political crossovers.

He said he hoped that Warisan and Barisan would not make the same mistake as they did in January by not being present to support the historic state Bills to get back Sabah rights over control on energy and gas distribution passed in assembly.

The Minister in the Prime Minister's Department said that he hoped that no one attempted to create a political polemic especially when all the parties concerned have publicly voiced the urgency of passing this Bill in the past.

"At this juncture, no one should pretend to be holy and play the victim card as if they were the only victims of party hopping.

"It is already known that party hopping in Sabah is nothing new, these incidents are in fact much intertwined to Sabah’s political history.

"These incidents have not been limited to incidents of assemblymen changing parties but have even led to the change in the state government.

"In 2018, Sabah Barisan led government of Tan Sri Musa Aman tumbled after the party hopping incident that benefited Warisan as the newly formed government was led by Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal," he said, adding that in 1994 Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) government under Tan Sri Joseph Pairin Kitingan fell to Barisan through defections.

He said all concerned parties, especially assemblymen should and must support the law to prevent switching of parties among state assemblymen under the state Constitution Amendment Bill 2023.

The anti-hopping Bill is a manifestation of the commitment of all concerned parties to bring new values and meaning to the politics in Sabah, he added.

He said this effort is to uphold the principles of democracy and ensure the stability of any government that is legitimately formed post-election, he added.

Armizan said he fervently hopes that both assemblymen from Warisan and Barisan do not repeat their past mistakes of failing to attend the past state assembly in January in which two very important Bills were passed.

Shafie had earlier this week said that he wants to see the proposed amendments for the anti-hopping law before his party decides whether or not to support the Bill.

Sabah Barisan chairman Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin, who was present at the opening of the assembly sitting on Monday (May 22), has not been present over the last few days.

Sabah Barisan-Umno assemblymen who were aligned with Bung in their failed bid to topple Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor on Jan 5, were also not seen in the assembly over the last two days.