Azalina Othman Said (BN-Pengerang), who has been vocal in her push for an anti-hopping law, said Putrajaya would be unable to force the respective states to adopt the law to cover state assembly seats.

Azalina expressed hope that opposition MPs who were also assemblymen in Selangor and Penang would work towards making these states adopt the law.

“If not, (it would be) as if the federal government has no ‘frogs’, while there are ‘frogs’ in the states,” she said, using the popular term to describe defectors.

Azalina said this when debating the anti-hopping bill, which she had a hand in drafting. For now, the law will cover only parliamentary seats.

Hassan Karim (PH-Pasir Gudang) pointed out that the Federal Constitution stipulated that federal laws would trump state laws should there be any inconsistency.

However, Azalina said, in some cases, the sultans of the respective states would have their own views about a certain law.

“That is why the (bill drafting) committee felt that we need to respect (their opinions) although we know that federal laws supersede state laws.”

On Monday, law minister Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar said the anti-hopping law would not cover state assemblymen for the moment as the Yang di-Pertuan Agong would first have to hold consultations with the sultans and governors.

“When the sultans and governors agree to the law, only then can it be introduced at the state level,” he had said.