How Do We Curb Party Hopping?

Last month, a bipartisan parliamentary caucus headed by Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz was formed, to look into ways to end the “party hopping” culture in Malaysian politics. The current proposal put forth by Nazri Aziz is for Parliament to amend the Election Commission Act 1957 and enforce a party-list system, in which voters would elect parties rather than individuals. Nazri says that amending an Act of Parliament would be easier, as it requires only a simple majority to pass. That said not all legal commentators are convinced that this should be the way forward, with some stating that a constitutional amendment would still be necessary.

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