KUCHING: A rate of fine payment is proposed to be included into the Constitutional (Amendment) Bill (No. 3) 2022 on the provision of the Prohibition of Members of Parliament from Party Hopping.
Hulu Rajang MP Datuk Wilson Ugok Kumbong said the inclusion of a fine is to ensure that every MP who contests will be fined between RM5 million to RM10 million if they are found breaching this law.
“This is also to prevent Members of Parliament from being used as merchandise by political parties.
“I am sure many voters will agree with my proposal. The purpose of this fine is also a lesson for politicians so that this money can be reused by the Election Commission (EC) for the purpose of reconducting the election in a certain area.
“This may seem complicated and technical but I would like to suggest that this proposal be refined,” he said when debating on the Anti-Hopping Bill at the Parliament today.
Earlier he said that the people’s mandate and trust is no longer being played with by hopping here and there.
“This is because the cost of carrying out a by-election or general election is not cheap, it costs millions of ringgit. This is the people’s money, I’m sure voters will be angry if the state’s money is used for some politicians,” he added.
He said after 65 years following the country’s independence, it was an extraordinary record where many MPS had switched parties after the 14th General Election.
“This is not a proud record of achievement, but it is very sad because the people’s trust has been betrayed by a few politicians who are greedy for power.
“Based on a comparison with neighboring countries in the Southeast Asian region, Malaysia can be considered as the country facing the most problems of MPs jumping parties. This also erodes the country’s image not only in the eyes of ASEAN but also at the international level.
“This scenario also shows that the country’s democratic practice is on the worst track with Malaysia currently at the lowest point in terms of nurturing the parliamentary democratic system.
“This issue is due to the Malaysian law not being strict with the practice of elected representatives leaving the party being considered as a freedom of association enshrined in the Federal Constitution. This inherent freedom is used as a game tool by some of us in this august house,” he said.
