KUCHING: Senator Robert Lau said the proposed tabling of the anti-party hopping law will demonstrate how parliamentary democracy works.
“Some people have taken a sceptical, and even cynical view, on all the goings-on surrounding the process. There was much back and forth between the government and opposition and even within the Cabinet and the parties within the government on how this law should be, culminating in the debate in the Dewan Rakyat yesterday (April 11).
“I stand to argue that this is exactly how parliament should work. Parliament is not a rubber stamp of the executive. This time the legislators are actively involved in drafting the law on anti hopping.
“This is the beauty of a dynamic, deliberative, competitive system of parliamentary democracy.
“However this rarely happens. Most of the time the decision is made with little input from legislators. In a super majority parliament, the party whip will ensure that all government bills are passed with no or little chance of change from the legislative arm,” he said.
He added at the end the result must justify the means, and can be achieved if the legislators played their role as what is required of them and not prioritise political interest or party politics.
“Party interest should not override the nation’s interest.
“If the outcome of the process is gridlocked with nothing to show or a compromised version of the bill that is ineffective and not live up to the people’s expectation of the original intention, then people’s faith in the system (parliamentary democracy) will be diminished,” said Lau.
Having said that, Lau expressed pride over how the legislative arm is working in formulating the law on anti-party hopping.
“This is one of the rare occasions where the legislative arm is actively involved and in control of the deliberation and drafting the law. This is the main duty of MPs.
“This has resulted in the Constitution (Amendment) (No.3) Bill 2022 being retracted from being tabled and voted on April 11 in the Dewan Rakyat and today (April 12) in Dewan Negara in order to further refine it,” he said.
In addition, as a result of the debate, he said it was agreed that the anti-party hopping law will be prepared and tabled at the same time as the constitutional amendment.”
Lau reminded that an overwhelming majority wants the culture of party hopping by elected representatives to be made unlawful, or at the very least to put a penalty on those who betray the voters.
