KUCHING: The definition of party-hopping as part of the Anti-Hopping Act must be specifically stated in the Federal Constitution with all the necessary safeguards in place, said Bandar Kuching MP Dr Kelvin Yii.
With the initial amendments to Article 10 of the Federal Constitution by the government, he said it was clear that one of the main fundamental liberties is being threatened with a vague and possible overreaching interpretation.
“That is why in all good conscience, we cannot support it.
“So while I support the decision to refer it back to the Select Committee to refine the amendments, I strongly believe the definition of party-hopping must be specifically defined in the constitution with all the necessary safeguards, and not just a mere act which can be passed with a simple majority.
“It must be part of the fundamental structure of the constitution itself,” he said in a statement on Monday (Apr 11).
Dr Yii said failure to do so may result in the government simply changing the definition of party-hopping to disqualify an MP by a mere simple majority vote which every government will have.
“This is a clear abuse of power and we cannot allow this door to be opened.”
With that, he said the Anti-Hopping Act should be inserted in the Federal Constitution itself and not as a separate Act when passed.
“I stood up and debated on the importance of the Anti-Hopping Law to ensure we get the people’s confidence and trust in our democratic system.
“However, when it comes to amending our constitution, especially when it comes to the fundamental liberties of us as citizens, we must do so with extreme caution,” he reminded.
He also believed that the committee should come up with the agreed amendments as soon as possible as the majority of the ‘leg work’ has been done by the steering and technical committee for the past six months.
“So there is no more excuse for it to be delayed longer,” he added.
