The new government should enact a law that allow elections to be recalled, says Pengerang’s Barisan Nasional (BN) candidate Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said.
A recall election empowers voters to remove an elected official from office through a referendum before that official’s term of office has ended. It is initiated when sufficient voters sign a petition.
In a statement on Facebook, Azalina explained that the newly gazetted Anti-Hopping Act is not sufficient as it addresses individual MPs who defect from one party to another. However, it is silent on political parties that decide to move from one bloc or coalition to another.
“I sincerely hope that the new government will push for the Anti-Hopping Law to include recall elections, thus giving voters the power to decide if any movement, whether individual or en bloc, is legitimate on a case-by-case basis.”
“Voters should always be given the right to decide in our democratic system,” she said.
BN to work with other coalitions
Azalina, also a former law minister, managed to win the Pengerang seat in the 15th General Election (GE15).
She is also one of the few UMNO and BN leaders who survived the onslaught from Pakatan Harapan (PH) and Perikatan Nasional (PN).
Meanwhile, she said that the UMNO leaders are open to cooperating with any party on key legal reforms.
“We now have work to do to serve the people and do the work it takes for stability and continuous improvement in our current legal and executive systems through reforms, developing new laws, amending old laws where need be, and addressing issues that affect each Malaysian through action and not just words,” she said.
“I am looking forward to the work that lies ahead and hopes that elected representatives from both sides of the aisle, chosen by the voters, will work together to achieve the common goal of a stable, peaceful and prosperous Malaysia.”
 candidate Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said.){kind=link}