KUALA LUMPUR: A senator today urged the government to enact an anti-party hopping law to ensure the loyalty and integrity of elected representatives.
Datuk Lee Tian Sing (pix) said this was important because of late, many elected representatives had crossed over to other political parties and this was very disappointing for the people who had voted for them.
“People vote to support a party, not just the candidates, so if there are elected reps who cross over to another party after winning the seats, they have betrayed the mandate given by the people,“ he said when debating on the Supply Bill 2019 in the Dewan Negara, here.
Lee said party hopping could be related to the freedom of association, but it was clearly against the country’s principle of democracy and could even topple an elected government.
“If a candidate is contesting as an Independent in a general election, he can join any political party if he wins as the people have voted for him for his personality. But if a candidate has been given the mandate by his party to contest, he is tied to the party and cannot just quit as he wishes.
“If elected reps who have won insist on leaving their party, their win should be cancelled and by-elections be held,“ he said.
Lee also said that elected reps with differing views could voice their objections on matters in Parliament or the State Legislative Assembly and needed not quit their party.
Meanwhile, he said allocations for elected reps should also be distributed fairly and not unevenly like now, as they were chosen by the people who had the right to benefit from the allocations.
The Dewan Negara sitting resumes on Monday. — Bernama
