Malaysia Prepares Constitutional Amendments To Quash Party Hopping

Constitutional amendments prohibiting party-hopping will be tabled in the Dewan Rakyat during the upcoming session and passed by March 24, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department in charge of Law and Parliament Wan Junaidi told Malaysia Star.

• "Instead of enacting a new set of laws which may have their constitutionality challenged in court, we are looking at the Constitution itself as the basis to stop party hopping once and for all. (...) We are not just looking at the disqualification of those who party-hop but also to stop their appointments to fill casual vacancies in the Senate.”
• Wan Junaidi refused to offer any details on the proposed constitutional amendments, but the initiative comes on the heels of a deal struck by the government and the major opposition alliance after one federal government and several state administrations were brought down by lawmakers' defections.