Press Statement By Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng In Komtar, George Town On 22.10.2012.
The PR state government will not be deterred by BN’s support for the culture of political frogs but is determined to table a historic constitutional amendment to push through an anti-hopping law in the Penang state assembly meeting on 1 November 2012. The State Legal Advisor has been tasked with the necessary process of gazetting the proposed constitutional amendment.
Any amendment to the Penang state constitution requires a 2/3 majority and PR has the required numbers by holding 29 out of the 40 seats. All 3 parties in Penang PR of PAS, PKR and DAP have also supported the proposed constitutional amendment requiring State Assembly members who jump or change their party affiliation to resign and recontest in a by-election.
BN and MCA have taken the opportunity to hit out at the Penang state government at yesterday’s MCA Annual General Assembly by dramatically labelling the proposed anti-hopping law as unconstitutional and that it will even creating a constitutional crisis that will be the very foundation of the Federal Constitution and the nation at risk. The Penang state government believes that the anti-hopping law should be within the Federal Constitution for 3 principal reasons.
One, it respects the democratic mandate of the people being kingmakers by allowing their constituents to either support or reject the decision of their elected representatives to hop from one party to another. As parliamentary democracy is the basis of our Federal Constitution, the anti-hopping law by reinforcing its democratic character will only serve to strengthen the Federal Constitution.
Two, the anti-hopping law does not infringe on a person’s right of freedom of association as he or she can join any party subject to a renewal of mandate by the constituents. Finally this will also ensure the practice of political accountability as well as principled values and public integrity in Penang, where elected representatives can not be traded like a commodity at the highest price.
BN and MCA’s condemnation of Penang PR’s anti-hopping laws provides a stark difference between BN’s focus on party interests and personalities as compared to PR emphasis on policies and people.
Lim Guan Eng
—-Mandarin Version—
槟州首席部长林冠英于2012年10月22日在乔治市发表声明：
民联州政府不会被国阵对政治青蛙的支持而阻吓，相反地，我们决定进行历史性修宪，以在2012年11月1日 槟州州议会上，促成反跳槽法令。
民联州政府不会被国阵对政治青蛙的支持而阻吓，相反地，我们决定提呈历史性宪法修正案，以在2012年11月1日 槟州州议会上，促成反跳槽法令。槟州法律顾问已经受指示，进行通过上述法令所需要的修宪工作。
槟州若要修宪，我们必须要有三分之二多数议席，而民联已经在40个州议席中，掌握29个议席。民联三党包括回教党、公正党及行动党也支持修宪，要求跳槽或跳党的州议员辞职、再补选。
国阵与马华在昨天的马华常年代表大会上，乘机攻击槟州政府，他们说反跳槽法令是不符合宪法的，它还会导致宪法危机，让联邦宪法的基石及国家受到威胁。槟州政府相信，拟订反跳槽法令应该是在联邦宪法的范畴内，主要原因有三：
第一， 它尊重人民的民主委托，让选民可以针对民选议员跳槽的决定，表示支持或反对。议会民主是联邦宪法的基础，反跳槽法令加强民主的特性，将有助于强化联邦宪法。
第二， 反跳槽法令不侵犯个人的集会自由，因为有关跳槽议员还是可以参加任何政党，只不过他们在成为民选议员方面必须重新寻求选民的委托。最后，这将确保槟州的政治公信力、原则价值及公共廉正性，那就是民选议员不能够像商品那样被买卖。
国阵与马华谴责槟州跳槽法令，让人民看到国阵与民联的差别，国阵注重政党及个人利益，而民联更加注重政策及人民。
林冠英