Logo of Phnom Penh Post newspaper Phnom Penh Post - 39 Malaysian ministers have changed loyalty since 2018

39 Malaysian ministers have changed loyalty since 2018

Content image - Phnom Penh Post
Umno and Parti Keadilan Rakyat lost the most number of MPs since 2018. AFP

39 Malaysian ministers have changed loyalty since 2018

A total of 39 Malaysian Members of Parliament (MP) have switched their political loyalties since the 2018 general election, said the Cabinet minister in charge of Parliament on Saturday.

Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department in charge of Parliament and Law, Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar, was quoted by Bernama news agency as saying their switch of allegiances had led to political instability, with three prime ministers being appointed in a single parliamentary term.

“This has not brought about political stability in the country. When there is political instability, then the economy becomes difficult to manage as well . . . and when we are facing Covid-19 this (instability) becomes a huge problem,” he told reporters, as quoted by Bernama after attending an event in Kuching, the capital of Sarawak.

The 39 MPs represent 17.6 per cent of Malaysia’s 222 federal lawmakers, with Umno and Parti Keadilan Rakyat losing the most number of MPs since 2018.

Changing political parties or declaring oneself to be an independent lawmaker is allowed in Malaysia currently.

Datuk Seri Wan Junaidi said to stop party hopping, the government has drafted amendments under the Federal Constitution (Amendments) 2022 Bill on Anti-Party Hopping.

“At this stage, there are some who agree (with the Bill) and some who do not but if the Cabinet agrees to it on April 6, a special sitting will be held on April 11 to debate it,” he said.

Wan Junaidi said Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob, after discussions, had agreed that the Bill will be tabled in Parliament on April 11. But the minister said this would be subject to a decision by the Cabinet on April 6, he said, Bernama reported.

Malaysia has faced political turmoil in the last three years amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The four-party Pakatan Harapan (PH) alliance won the May 2018 general election and picked Tun Dr Mahathir as its prime minister.

Some 15 Umno MPs left the party soon after the general election to boost the ranks of one of the PH parties, Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) which was led by its chairman Dr Mahathir.

But Dr Mahathir resigned in February 2020 when most Bersatu MPs abandoned the PH alliance, and teamed up with 11 MPs who left another PH member, PKR.

Bersatu and the PKR rebels then joined up with Umno and Parti Islam SeMalaysia to form the next government led by Bersatu president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, who became the next prime minister on March 1, 2020.

Dr Mahathir was ousted from Bersatu.

But Muhyiddin’s government itself collapsed in August last year, with Umno coaslescing around Umno leader Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri as the country’s third prime minister in the space of a little more than three years.

THE STRAITS TIMES (SINGAPORE)/ASIA NEWS NETWORK

MOST VIEWED

  • 12th Cambodia int’l film festival to see return of Hollywood star

    Phnom Penh is set to come alive with the magic of cinema as the highly anticipated 12th Cambodia International Film Festival (CIFF) takes centre stage. Boasting an impressive line-up of 188 films from 23 countries, including captivating shorts, feature films, documentaries and animation, the festival promises an

  • Brawl marrs football final as Indonesian take gold in seven goal thriller

    The Indonesian men's U22 men national football team were crowned champions of the 32nd SEA Games in Cambodia, defeating Thailand 5-2 in extra time on May 16 at Olympic National Stadium in Phnom Penh. The match was marred by an ugly incident that occured in the 91

  • Bareknuckle champion wants Kun Khmer fighter

    Dave Leduc, who is the current openweight Lethwei boxing champion in Myanmar, has announced that he will travel to Cambodia this year to challenge SEA Games gold medallist Prum Samnang any time that is convenient, after their planned match later this month in Slovakia was

  • Candlelight Party disqualified from July general election

    The National Election Committee (NEC) has disqualified the Candlelight Party (CP) from contesting the upcoming general election, citing a lack of valid documentation. NEC spokesman Khorn Keomono said the CP failed to fulfil one of the three main requirements: including original documentation proving their registration

  • Thong Khon calls for orderly SEA Games closing ceremony

    Thong Khon, Minister of Tourism and permanent vice-president of the Cambodia SEA Games Organising Committee (CAMSOC), calls on all people who have received tickets to the May 17 closing ceremony of the biennial multi-sports extravaganza at the Morodok Techo National Stadium to ensure that the event

  • 1.4 billion dollar Phnom Penh-Bavet expressway due in four years

    The Government, through the Ministry of Public Works and Transport, has officially signed a public-private partnership agreement with a private company for the construction of a Phnom Penh-Bavet Expressway project that will connect the capital to Svay Rieng province. The budget for the project is