Azalina, who was at an event in Panampang, Sabah, was asked to comment on whether the government plans to update or amend the purported loopholes in the anti-hopping law, which came into force in October 2022.

“No (loopholes). Which government enacted the anti-hopping law? Now that they are in opposition, they claim there are loopholes. But, surely, they assessed these loopholes when they drafted the law,” she said in a Sinar Harian report.

“Is it our job to close loopholes? No. Our current task is to ensure that the laws we have now, especially the anti-hopping law, can ensure that the seats belong to the party and the voters, not any individual MP.”

Azalina said the government is focused on implementing the law, under which MPs will lose their seats if they choose to jump to another party. Exceptions will be given to MPs who are sacked by their party or if their party is dissolved or deregistered.

In November, Perikatan Nasional chairman Muhyiddin Yassin described the anti-hopping law as flawed, and called for a review after four Bersatu MPs pledged their support for Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.

Two more Bersatu MPs have since backed Anwar, the latest being Tanjong Karang MP Dr Zulkafperi Hanapi, who said yesterday he was supporting Anwar for the sake of his constituents.

In response to Muhyiddin’s statement, former law minister Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar told PN not to blame anyone over the anti-hopping law, saying the so-called flaws in the legislation were known and accepted by all parties when the bill was passed.

Wan Junaidi said that when the bill was drafted, he had insisted on including a clause that MPs would automatically vacate their seat if they were to go against the stand of their respective parties in the Dewan Rakyat.

However, the clause was rejected by PN, the opposition coalition, causing it to be dropped from the bill when it was tabled, he was quoted by Astro Awani as saying.