Sabah anti-hop law gazetted, says State Assembly Speaker

KOTA KINABALU: Sabah’s anti-hop law has been gazetted, effectively halting the party hopping culture the state is notoriously known for.

“Yes, it was gazetted last Thursday,” Speaker Datuk Kadzim Yahya said when contacted.

The Anti-Party Hopping Bill was unanimously passed on May 25, with 75 of the 79 assemblymen present giving their full backing to the long-awaited amendment.

Sabah has seen its governments rise and fall through defections over the last 60 years.

As a matter of fact, there were a flurry of crossovers from Opposition parties into the Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) coalition which formed the state government after the Sept 26, 2020, snap state polls.

The last assemblyman to switch allegiance was Limbahau rep Datuk Juil Nuatim who quit the Datuk Peter Anthony-led Parti KDM on May 21.

Juil became a direct GRS member on May 23, just two days before the anti-party hopping law was tabled and enacted.

Following the passing of the law last month, Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor declared that Sabah’s history of party hopping would be a thing of the past.

He said Sabahans would no longer be hit by anxiety over assemblymen switching parties.

GRS anchor party Parti Gagasan Rakyat Sabah (Gagasan Rakyat), which is led by Hajiji, has the lion’s share of seats in the 79-seat state assembly with 26 assemblymen, while GRS components Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) has seven, Sabah STAR six, and Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) and Parti Harapan Rakyat Sabah (Harapan Rakyat) have one each.

GRS is also backed by Sabah Pakatan Harapan’s seven assemblymen as well as PAS’ lone nominated assemblyman. (PAS is part of the Opposition at the federal level).

As far as the state Opposition is concerned, Warisan has 14 seats, Sabah Barisan Nasional has 10 seats, and Parti KDM has one seat.

Political observers said the political situation, however, remained hazy with some Sabah Barisan/Umno assemblymen sitting in Hajiji’s state Cabinet.

Sabah Universiti Teknologi Mara senior lecturer Tony Paridi Bagang said this situation was very dynamic and unique in Sabah.

“The current relationship between GRS and Barisan, to some extent, has led to confusion for the people as far as understanding what is next where the local or state politics are concerned,” he said when contacted.

Datuk Shahelmey Yahya, the Tanjung Keramat assemblyman and Putatan MP, is a Deputy Chief Minister and Sabah Works Minister, but his Umno membership has been suspended for six years.