PETALING JAYA: The government was called to stop blaming the previous government and address certain gaps in the anti-party hopping law.
Public policy consultant Wan Agyl Wan Hassan stated that in identifying loopholes, it is crucial for both the government and Opposition to work together to block them.
“Addressing loopholes is a shared responsibility among all legislative body members.
“It requires collaboration, open discussions, and a commitment to constructive debate to ensure the law effectively and fairly serves its intended purpose,” he said, according to a report by FMT.
Not only that, Wan Agyl added that the Opposition should be responsible for proposing amendments to the law in order to allow substantial debate on the topic instead of calling it flawed.
Senior lawyer Bastian Pius Vendargon, on the other hand, looked to the government to amend the anti-party hopping law to plug any loopholes,
Bastian noted the acknowledgement of these loopholes by politicians and lawyers alike due to certain parties’ “refusal” to “adopt provisions” that could have guaranteed the bill’s indisputability.
“Amending the law requires political will and support, but it looks like politicians are happy with these loopholes, which are being exploited.
“Otherwise, this unity government would be in a position to amend the law to plug the gaps,” he said.
Previously, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said quashed the existence of loopholes in the anti-party hopping law on Jan 25.
She reasoned that is not the government’s responsibility to plug any loopholes in the law but instead make sure that the law “guarantees” the seat belong to the party who won it and not the member of Parliament (MP) only.
Bersatu president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin called for the anti-party hopping law to be reviewed, claiming that it was flawed after four Bersatu MPs pledged their support to Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim on November 2023.
In response to Muhyiddin’s claims, Tan Sri Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar said that Perikatan Nasional should not blame anyone, pointing out that all the parties involved were aware of said “flaws” and accepted it when the bill was passed.