KUALA LUMPUR: The amendment to the Constitution (Amendment) Act (No. 3) 2022 (Act A1663), better known as the anti-party hopping law, requires thorough bipartisan discussion and agreement, says Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said.
The Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Law and Institutional Reform) said that the Legal Affairs Division has no problem and is ready to propose amendments to the Act, as stated by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
"Now the government has agreed to look at that (amendment). There should not be any problem if the Prime Minister directs me in the Cabinet meeting to bring a note in terms of the new policy. I'm prepared," she told reporters when met at the Parliament building, here on Monday (July 15).
On Friday, Anwar said that the government is open to holding discussions to fix any loopholes in the existing law.
Azalina said that she had previously proposed a "recall remedy" to be included in the Act but the matter was not agreed to by the government, led by Bersatu at the time.
"We did mention 'recall', and also about the issue of party members being disciplined and sacked – what are the consequences? The government at that time did not want to address these issues," she said.
On June 20, Bersatu submitted a notice to the Dewan Rakyat Speaker Tan Sri Johari Abdul, requesting to vacate the six parliamentary seats of its people's representatives, who previously said they were now supporting the Prime Minister.
The notice was submitted based on the provisions of Article 49A(1)(a)(ii) of the Federal Constitution, which states that a member of the House of Representatives shall cease to be one and his seat shall become vacant when he ceases to be a member of a political party.
However, Johari, on July 11, reiterated that the decision regarding the status of six former Bersatu MPs, who declared their support for the government, remains, as the seats are not deemed vacant.
The six MPs are Datuk Syed Abu Hussin Hafiz Syed Abdul Fasal (Bukit Gantang), Datuk Dr Suhaili Abdul Rahman (Labuan), Zahari Kechik (Jeli), Mohd Azizi Abu Naim (Gua Musang), Datuk Iskandar Dzulkarnain Abdul Khalid (Kuala Kangsar) and Datuk Dr Zulkafperi Hanapi (Tanjong Karang). – Bernama
