IPOH, Oct 12 — Perak lawmaker Chong Zhemin urged Perak Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Saarani Mohammad to defer the dissolution of the state legislature until it has tabled and passed the anti-party hopping enactment, ahead of the latter’s royal audience this afternoon.

The Keranji assemblyman suggested the Perak government emulate its Barisan Nasional peers in Perlis, which will be tabling and debating a similar anti-party hopping proposal tomorrow before dissolving its legislature.

“The standing orders of the Perak state assembly have empowered the mentri besar to call an emergency state assembly sitting without any notice.

“Datuk Seri Saarani can call an emergency state assembly meeting to table the anti-party hopping Act, debate it and approve the amendment to the state constitution in one day, in line with the amendment to the Federal Constitution that legislated the anti-party hopping Act.

“I am confident this state anti-party hopping Act will get the support of more than two-thirds of the state assemblymen,” he said in a statement this morning.

The DAP representative stressed that the anti-party hopping Bill needs to be given priority before the legislature is dissolved to safeguard the stability of the next state government.

He pointed out that the past elected Perak government had been ousted twice in the past 11 years due to political crossovers.

“The first time was in 2009, when three assemblymen from Pakatan Rakyat left their respective parties to become independent and support Barisan Nasional to overthrow the PR government.

“The second betrayal happened in 2020, where some assemblymen withdrew their support causing the Pakatan Harapan government to fall.

“Therefore, Perak must pass an anti-hopping Act before the state assembly is dissolved to prevent such events from happening again,” Chong said.

Saarani has been granted an audience with state Ruler Sultan Nazrin Muizzuddin Shah at the Istana Kinta here at 2pm today.

The mentri besar, who is also Perak Umno chief, has made it clear he will be seeking the sultan’s consent to dissolve the assembly.