The anti-party hopping law has been called into question by Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, who believes it needs to be reviewed following recent side-switching by several Bersatu MPs.
During an emergency party supreme council meeting at Perikatan Nasional headquarters on Thursday (Nov 9), the Bersatu president expressed concerns over the weaknesses of the law that parties could still exploit.
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Muhyiddin stated, “It is clear that the law must be reviewed to maintain fairness and that appropriate punishment must be dealt when deserved.”
Over the past month, four Bersatu MPs have declared their support for the unity government and Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, raising concerns within the party.
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Iskandar Dzulkarnain Abdul Khalid, Dr Suhaili Abdul Rahman, Mohd Azizi Abu Naim, and Zahari Kechik, all Bersatu MPs, have shown their support for Anwar Ibrahim.
The party responded by suspending Iskandar for four years effective Nov 3 and Suhaili for six years effective Nov 7. The punishments for Azizi and Zahari are to be decided soon by the Bersatu disciplinary board, according to Muhyiddin.
It has been claimed by the Perikatan Nasional chairman that elements of corruption were used to sway these MPs.
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In response, Muhyiddin stated that the party would begin compiling evidence on the issue and make a report to the police and the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) soon.
“We believe a number of MACC officers are also involved and we shall also make a report on our suspicions to the MACC as well,” he added.
Finally, Muhyiddin reaffirmed that the actions of the four rogue Bersatu MPs were not supported by Bersatu, and he promised that the party would take all necessary actions to ensure those involved receive the punishments they deserve.
