KOTA TINGGI: Umno has expressed its support to the government for the latter's plan to improve the anti-party hopping law.
Its deputy president, Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan, said the law should be amended so that strict action, including vacating seats, could be taken against members of parliament (MP) who clearly show they are not aligned with their party.
He said a strict law was also needed to prevent MPs from party hopping.
"In my opinion, it is good for us to review it (the anti-party hopping law), and I even say that if it is not reviewed, it should be corrected to create a law similar to that used in England.
"For example, in England, they have a 'recall process', if MPs clearly show they are not aligned with their party and are not with it, the voters in their area can petition and hold a referendum.
"They will collect the signatures of valid voters in the area and bring the petition to Parliament.
"If the petition gets more than 50 per cent of the voters there, the seat must be vacated, and a by-election should be held," he said at a press conference after officiating at the Tenggara Umno division meeting at Dewan Seri Sayong in Felda Sungai Sayong here today.
Mohamad, also foreign minister, said Umno proposed the anti-party-hopping law after the party was "injured" because many of its MPs "hopped out" of the party after the 2018 General Election.
He said it was proposed by the Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said.
"Under the legal and reform cluster led by Azalina, we have proposed that an anti-party hopping law must exist. Otherwise, our country will always be chaotic, threatened by those who sometimes prioritise personal interests.
"Umno previously made amendments for a solid and strict law, but many parties did not agree, including that there was no need to leave the party or vacate the seat if the MP supports another party. This can be seen in the Hansards in Parliament.
"At that time, the other side rejected the proposal to create a stringent bill to prevent the issue of party hopping by MPs," he said.
Yesterday, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said Putrajaya was open to discussing the possibility of amending the anti-party hopping law to address any gap in the legislation.
Anwar also reportedly said that his political alliance, Pakatan Harapan, had proposed amendments to the act in 2022, but the government at the time rejected them.
On June 20, Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) submitted a notice to Dewan Rakyat Speaker Tan Sri Johari Abdul, requesting that six parliamentary seats represented by its MPs who previously voiced support for Anwar be vacated.
The notice was submitted based on the provisions of Article 49A(1)(a)(ii) of the constitution, which states that a member of the Dewan Rakyat shall cease to be a member, and his seat shall become vacant when he is no longer a member of a political party.
However, Johari, in his decision, rejected Bersatu's request to vacate the six parliamentary seats.