KUALA LUMPUR: Most political parties support the enactment of an anti-hopping law to prevent elected representatives from switching allegiance.

Umno supreme council member Datuk Seri Dr Jamaludin Jarjis agrees with the proposal put up by Minister in the Prime Minister's Department, Datuk Zaid Ibrahim.

"Once a representative switches allegiance, the seat should become void. I suggest we have a by-election if the matter arises," he said.

The former science, technology and innovation minister said any Umno or Barisan Nasional component members who joined the opposition were betrayers.

"The MPs or assemblymen were chosen by the voters because they represent the party. They cannot abandon the people's mandate."
He added that BN members should always support the prime minister and his deputy.

Yesterday, Zaid proposed that party-hopping be outlawed to protect the parties and also to prevent elected officials from betraying voters.

MIC secretary-general Datuk Dr S. Subramaniam said the party agreed in principle with the proposal.

"It is morally wrong. People usually vote for the party, and not the candidate," he said.

Subramaniam said if the candidate wanted to join another party, he should give up his seat.

DAP chairman Karpal Singh said his party would support the BN-led federal government to amend the Federal Constitution to make party hopping illegal.

He said the people's choice in returning a candidate to parliament or state assembly should be honoured by the elected representative.

"As an elected representative, one must set a good example.

"Switching to another party is tantamount to cheating the people and should be made a criminal offence."

Karpal added that his party would not accept renegades.

"They are humans, not cattle, so why must they hop around?"

DAP adviser Lim Kit Siang said he was supportive of the proposal.

"I suggested this 30 years ago. Using money to buy MPs or assemblymen is a root cause of corruption in the country," he said.

In Negri Sembilan, DAP candidates signed an oath before the election declaring that they would vacate their seats if they were to quit the party.

Parti Keadilan Rakyat information chief Tian Chua said the decision to switch political party was with MPs or assemblymen.

Chua agreed that ethically, it was not right to hop to other parties. However, he felt many complications would arise if this was made law.

"We should think about how to solve the problem and to discourage party-hopping, not simply enact a law."

Gerakan acting president Tan Sri Koh Tsu Koon said the party, as a matter of principle, welcomed the law.

Koh added that Gerakan had first-hand experience in elected representatives hoping to another party.

In 1999, two Gerakan state assemblymen in Penang quit the party three days after winning in the 10th general election.

Lim Boo Chang and Lim Chien Aun, who contested under Gerakan's banner, quit the party and declared themselves as "independent Barisan Nasional assemblymen". The duo eventually joined MCA.

In Kota Kinabalu, Sabah Progressive Party president Datuk Yong Teck Lee said the anti-hop law was 20 years overdue.

"I suggest the de facto minister of law look at Article 18 of the Sabah state constitution. It provides that an assemblyman shall vacate his seat if he resigns or is expelled, or for any reason whatsoever ceases to be a member of the political party of which he is a member.

"On the same premise and to attain the moral high ground, the BN leadership must now reject any opposition MPs who wish to join BN," Yong said.

This state law (on anti-hopping) was later struck down as null and void in 1990 by the Federal Court as being unconstitutional as it contravened Article 10 of the Federal Constitutional provision on freedom of association.

In Kuching, Parti Rakyat Sarawak president Datuk Seri Dr James Masing disagreed with making party-hopping illegal.

"You cannot legislate people's conscience.

"No amount of legal arguments and no amount of laws can stop an elected representative from hopping to another party," he said.

Sarawak BN secretary-general Dr Stephen Rundie said the proposed law needed to be looked into in greater detail as it had failed once before.

"There is some good to the law. It would ensure political stability. But some details needed to be looked into before putting it to the test again," Rundie said.