Written By : Imran Razib
PETALING JAYA: Former deputy Dewan Rakyat speaker Azalina Othman Said plans to send a notice of motion to the Dewan Rakyat speaker to table a Recall Bill.
In a statement today, the Pengerang MP hoped the motion will be the “starting point” to introduce recall elections during the upcoming Parliamentary sitting.
“In addition, I also intend to propose the establishment of a ‘Caucus on Parliamentary Reform and Multi-Party Democracy’ among interested MPs,” said the former law minister.
“This is to strengthen the institution of Parliament in Malaysia and uphold parliamentary democracy in our country.”
She added that she was “very pleased” with the discussions between the government, the opposition bloc and the independent bloc to introduce a law to prevent party hopping.
Last week, Azalina suggested that one way of preventing elected representatives from defecting to another party is to hold recall elections under the proposed anti-hopping law.
In a frequently asked questions (FAQ) sheet on the proposed law, she said recall elections would allow the people to revoke their mandate given to an elected representative if he or she decides to switch parties.
In today’s statement, Azalina said leaders of her generation should accept the competition between political parties as something that benefits the rakyat if it is based on reasonable “rules of the game” and not meant to trigger splits within parties.
She added that instead of eliminating political competition, it should be fine-tuned so as not to cause hatred or chaos.
“For the progress of the country, the political leaders of my generation and the younger generation must be brave enough to agree on working towards making politics a professional career choice that is respected and revered, not reviled and scorned,” she said.
“The rakyat’s perception of politicians today is very embarrassing, and personally, I am upset with this situation.”
