KOTA KINABALU: Sabah can have its own law to prevent party-hopping, but it should be consistent with the recently approved federal Anti-Hopping Bill, says the Sabah Law Society.

Its president Roger Chin said that the state legislative assembly has the power to enact its own law, but it needed to be consistent with the Federal Constitution.

“In theory, Sabah can have its own laws, but in reality, it cannot stray too far from the federal anti-hopping law under the Constitution,” he said.

He added that the suggestion for recall elections if an elected representative leaves his party could be enacted by the state, but the Federal Constitution also needs to be amended for it to have any effect.

During a recent townhall here on enacting an anti-party hopping law, the discussion centred on the need for it to suit the situation in Sabah, a state where governments have fallen on several occasions due to party hopping.

During the townhall, Parti Bersatu Sabah information chief Datuk Joniston Bangkuai and Kota Kinabalu MP Chan Foong Hin suggested that Sabah now had a chance to look at it closely.

“To me, it does not have to be exactly the same as the Parliament version as we have to look at Sabah’s situation,” said Bangkuai, referring to the 14th General Election in 2018 when Sabah Barisan Nasional fell after a party pulled out of the coalition.

The current federal anti-hopping law allows for parties to opt out of a coalition but not individual representatives.

https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2022/08/19/state-federal-anti-hopping-laws-should-be-consistent