The de facto law minister said they were also scrutinising court decisions related to switching parties after the election, adding that the models of anti-hopping laws in several countries such as India, Singapore, New Zealand and the United Kingdom are also being studied.

“The findings will be discussed through a bipartisan engagement session,” he said in a question-and-answer session at the Dewan Negara today.

He was responding to a question from N. Balasubramaniam who wanted to know the government’s readiness to introduce an anti-hopping law.

Wan Junaidi said the government was committed to ensuring that a specific law on this would be enacted to protect the rights of the people who had voted and put their trust in politicians during elections.

“The government will also ensure that comprehensive engagement sessions are held with stakeholders, NGOs and MPs from both sides of the divide to ensure the law receives support from all parties.

Responding to a supplementary question on whether they will have engagement sessions with foreign legal experts to draft the law, Wan Junaidi said there was no necessity to do so as the country have sufficient expertise on the matter.

“However, we have to study the legal models used by other countries to look at their weaknesses and strengths. We must also consider our own constitutional point of view and the needs of our people,” he added.