Bersatu MPs sacked from party not considered party hoppers: Minister

Several prominent leaders previously expelled from Malaysia's Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) will not be deemed party hoppers under the country's new anti-defection law. This legal interpretation affects key figures such as Larut Member of Parliament Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin and Indera Mahkota MP Datuk Seri Saifuddin Abdullah, along with Machang MP Wan Ahmad Fayhsal Wan Ahmad and other former Bersatu parliamentarians.

The anti-party hopping law, enacted to promote political stability, stipulates that elected representatives who switch parties after an election can lose their seats. However, the current interpretation suggests that individuals who were expelled from their parties prior to the law's full implementation or under specific circumstances are exempt from this provision.

This clarification is significant as it allows these former Bersatu leaders to retain their parliamentary seats despite their expulsion from the party. The law was designed to curb political defections and ensure that elected officials remain loyal to the parties under whose banner they were elected.

Sources indicate that the Ministry in the Prime Minister's Department (Law and Institutional Reform), Datuk Seri Azalina Othman, has been involved in addressing these legal nuances. The precise conditions under which an expulsion does not constitute party hopping are crucial for understanding the practical application of the anti-defection legislation.