Author of anti-party hopping law says MPs who back opposing parties won’t automatically lose their seats

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 8 — MPs who declare their support for a rival faction won’t automatically lose their seats in Parliament, according to Senate president Tan Sri Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar.

The former federal minister had led a committee that drafted amendments to the Federal Constitution that aimed to end the series of political crossovers through statutory declarations in the past was commenting on the spate of support for Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim from three Opposition Bersatu lawmakers.

“As long as the Constitution is not amended or political parties do not amend their party constitution to make MPs automatically lose their memberships if they support the opposing party in Dewan Rakyat, it would not affect anything at all,” Wan Junaidi was quoted as telling The Star in a news report today.

Wan Junaidi told the newspaper he had predicted such an outcome when the anti-party hopping provision was being drawn up and wanted to include a clause to state that MPs who violated their party’s wishes would automatically lose their seats.

But he said the clause was found to be democratically restrictive after discussing with other members of the Parliamentary Special Select Committee and the main political parties back then and was left out.

Yesterday, Gua Musang MP Mohd Azizi Abu Naim publicly declared his support for Anwar, following in the footsteps of his Bersatu party mates Labuan MP Datuk Suhaili Abd Rahman on October 30 and Kuala Kangsar MP Datuk Iskandar Dzulkarnain Abdul Khalid on October 12.

All three Opposition MPs said they did so to ensure that federal funds would continue to flow for the welfare of their constituents.

Bersatu secretary-general Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin has since said Suhaili is suspended as a party member for six years and Iskandar Dzulkarnain for four years, for insubordination.

Hamzah added that the party will take control of the Kuala Kangsar and Labuan divisions.

No disciplinary action has been announced on Mohd Azizi so far.

The anti-party hopping provision as contained in Article 49A of the Federal Constitution (pertaining to MPs) and the Eighth Schedule of the same law (pertaining to assemblymen) came into force on October 5 last year.

According to these provisions, the incumbents lose their seats if they join another party or become independents after they were elected; but none of the three MPs have announced a decision to quit Bersatu at this point.