KUCHING: Sarawak may table a similar anti-party hopping Bill in the State Legislative Assembly (DUN) as the one passed by parliament recently.
In saying this, Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) Youth chief Datuk Snowdan Lawan said besides being in tandem with federal law it would safeguard the continuity of stability in the years to come.
“We support the enactment of the Bill. It is a matter of time that Sarawak will table the same Bill (anti-party hopping) too in the DUN if needed in the future,” he told New Sarawak Tribune.
He was reacting to Stampin MP Chong Chieng Jen’s recent remarks that Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Parliament and Law) Datuk Seri Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar should also be instrumental in pushing the agenda for the tabling of an anti-hopping law in Sarawak.
The Balai Ringin assemblyman said it will stop elected representatives from jumping ship during their tenure of office.
“The whole idea which necessitated the tabling of this Bill is to ensure political stability in the country especially when it comes to forming a government at federal or state level.
“If the last 12th State Election is a benchmark to measure stability which saw GPS win 76 seats out of the 82 seats contested, we can safely conclude the GPS government is comfortably stable although many may say it’s not guaranteed.
“Meaning to say, down here in Sarawak we have achieved this stability even without tabling the Anti-Party Hopping Bill,” he said.
But he said with the anti-party hopping law, fragile political allegiance and breaching of the people’s trust and mandate by switching parties will be kept at bay, and with that, political stability in the state could be maintained.
“It is only with stability that the state or the country can prosper. In addition, with a conducive political environment, economically we will be able to attract foreign direct investments ( FDIs) into the state which in turn will create job and employment opportunities.
“The spin-off effect is that we will experience vibrant economic activities propelled by strong spending and consumption,” said Snowdan.
