PETALING JAYA: The soon-to-be-tabled Anti-Party Hopping Bill is not expected to have a major impact on voter apathy, said Nusantara Academy for Strategic Research senior fellow Prof Azmi Hassan.
Malaysian politics has seen over 40 MPs jump ship since the 14th general election, with two changes in government and three prime ministers.
The Bill aims to make it harder for MPs to change parties after being elected, and also limit the prime minister’s tenure in office.
De facto Law Minister Datuk Seri Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar said the Bill will need the support of two-thirds of MPs since it requires a constitutional amendment.
Azmi said even if the Bill is passed, it would have a small impact on the numbers who turn out to vote, adding that this is down to the fact that voters are unhappy with the political chaos over the last four years.
“The low voter turnout in the last three by-elections was also due to the Covid pandemic and not so much due to party hopping.
“By looking at the low voter turnout, it is PKR and Barisan Nasional (BN) that have suffered most even though BN won in Malacca and Johor.
“DAP has not suffered as badly, but it too has seen lower votes from its supporters since the last elections.”
Azmi added that the Bill would help increase the number of voters, but not by a lot.
He said changes in the prime ministership and governments were the primary reasons for low voter turnout.
“The voters want their vote to count, and the Bill would play a crucial part in this. The voters pick an MP and they want him to remain loyal to the party he stood for and won.
“The one good thing about the Bill that might attract voters is that if the MP they pick wants to jump ship, he will need to resign and contest again.”
He said this would make MPs think twice because they may lose in a re-election, adding that voter apathy will remain as long as the public believes the political system is broken.
National Council of Professors senior fellow Dr Jeniri Amir said: “It is very important how the Bill is presented to the voters to attract them back to the polling booth.
“Voters are still disgusted with the way the MPs have behaved ... putting self-interest before their constituents.”
Jeniri said in the next general election, political parties must ensure they field candidates who are well-liked by the people.
“The Bill would help with voter turnout but the impact will not be that huge,” he said.
