MP and party agreements valid - Haniff Khatri
However, switching allegiance is not an act of party hopping.
SHAH ALAM - Any agreement or allegiance made between Bersatu MPs and parties is valid, said lawyer Haniff Khatri Abdulla.
He said this was similar to what was done by Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) in suing former Ampang MP Datuk Zuraida Kamaruddin for defection.
However, Haniff said that the lawsuit did not result in Bersatu MPs who defected losing their positions as representatives as stipulated in the Anti-Hopping Act.
"Even though the act of switching allegiance resulted in Bersatu MPs being expelled, Section 49(a) of the Constitutional (Amendment) Act (No. 3) 2022 (Act A1663), which prohibits Members of Parliament from changing parties, confirms that switching allegiance is not an act of party hopping," he explained to Sinar Premium.
He also said that giving majority support to the Prime Minister was valid as stated in Section 43(2) of the Federal Constitution, which is not an offence as it was the personal choice of each representative.
"I believe that allegiance is an internal Bersatu issue. If they want to file a case in court, it's up to them, just like PKR did with Zuraida before," he said.
Haniff said that the six Bersatu MPs in question would only lose their positions as representatives if they themselves declared their exit from the party, whether becoming an independent MPs or joining another coalition.