Umno legal bureau examining anti-party hopping laws in Zafrul's case, says Azalina
PETALING JAYA: Umno's legal bureau is checking if anti-party hopping laws apply to Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Abdul Aziz, says Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said.
"Umno's legal bureau has been asked to study the implications of anti-party hopping laws – including the position of senator – to ensure that the next course of action complies with the legal framework.
"Each minister is appointed as a representative of their respective party. Umno remains committed towards serving the nation in the unity government setting and will continue to fulfil the people's mandate," said the Umno information chief on Sunday(June 1).
Azalina, who is also a Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Law and Institutional Reform), said she and Umno respect the Investment, Trade and Industry Minister's decision but stressed that Cabinet positions are given based on party mandate and not in a personal capacity.
Umno vice-president Datuk Seri Johari Abdul Ghani and Umno deputy president Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan had said that Tengku Zafrul was not bound by anti-party hopping laws because he is not an elected representative.
Bernama reported Mohamad as saying that the pledge signed by Tengku Zafrul as a Barisan Nasional candidate in the 15th General Election could not be enforced as well because he did not win the seat he contested.
"That (the pledge) is not included within the scope of the agreement because Tengku Zafrul did not win the election. That is a pledge made by an elected representative, a state assemblyman or a Member of Parliament.
"If they win, the seat belongs to the party, not the individual. If the candidate wins, they sign many agreements, including reimbursing costs incurred by the party.
"Tengku Zafrul did not win. He became a minister on the basis of being a senator," he told reporters after a luncheon on Saturday (May 31).
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Malaysiakini
2 hours ago
- Malaysiakini
Will politicians listen to Agong's good advice?
YOURSAY | 'PKR, known for infighting, also spreading 'virus' (of division).' Agong warns against too many parties, factions Mario T: This is good advice from our Agong, but will the politicians put service to the rakyat above money or power? I am afraid not. The avaricious craving for money by whatever means will continue to plague the nation like an incurable disease. Once you have let loose a bull, it is going to be almost impossible to catch it and place it under reins. Corruption in every stratum of society has reached a point of no return. What is presently being investigated by the MACC or police and prosecuted is just a small visible tip of an iceberg. Traveloka Winning: This is a timely reminder for PKR because PKR is always the source of infighting. Not only is it known for infighting, but it also spreads the 'virus' (of division) to virtually everyone. This 'virus' has resulted in our winning PAS splitting, leading to the formation of Amanah, then Umno splitting further into Bersatu, and Bersatu splitting into Muda and Pejuang. Worse still, PKR continues to generate infighting among the various factions in the party. I am not even talking about factions within the party that everyone knows about. I'm talking about how Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, who is also PKR president, poached Senator Tengku Zafrul Abdul Aziz to join PKR. This is humiliating for Deputy Prime Minister and Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, creating tension in the (dis)unity government. To rehabilitate the political landscape, PKR and specifically Anwar's dynasty (his wife, former deputy prime minister Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail and daughter Nurul Izzah) must be forever barred from participating in elections. Only then can our country hope to have unity. Mazhilamani: The most divided community appears to be just one. The way it keeps creating new parties, it is only a matter of time before each state will have its own party or parties broken down to Jati Malays, Javanese, Acehnese, Sundanese, Banjarese, Minangkabau, Bugis, among others. Eventually, the majority Malay group will attempt to lead the country with the minority brought under their mercy. Malayans of different races started as equals, but after 68 years, see how divided we have become and with some communities treated as minorities. It is now the responsibility of the Registrar of Societies to ensure that the registration and approval of race-based parties are immediately rejected, including applications from the Chinese and Indian communities. Please take the advice of the Agong, his concern may become a reality. IndigoTrout2522: In a democracy, people are free to vote for any candidates or political parties. If politicians or parties lose the trust and confidence of the voters and therefore their votes, they won't survive politically. Evidence has shown that once powerful or popular politicians, as well as political parties, have become irrelevant when voters lose confidence in them, regardless of whether they are old or new parties. The voters will decide, come the 16th general election. WhitePony9855: Daulat Tuanku, thank you for the timely reminder, but knowing our politicians, they won't listen. The 3Rs (race, religion and royalty) are the main divisive subjects played up by most politicians. Some of them seemed to be insulated against our laws. They play up the 3R, yet the authorities won't act against them. The above is a selection of comments posted by Malaysiakini subscribers. Only paying subscribers can post comments. In the past year, Malaysiakinians have posted over 100,000 comments. Join the Malaysiakini community and help set the news agenda. Subscribe now. These comments are compiled to reflect the views of Malaysiakini subscribers on matters of public interest. Malaysiakini does not intend to represent these views as fact.
Free Malaysia Today
10 hours ago
- Free Malaysia Today
Don't jump the gun, Kedah Umno told over call to review PH pact
Tengku Zafrul Aziz announced his exit from Umno last Friday and said he intends to join PKR. (Bernama pic) PETALING JAYA : A Pakatan Harapan leader has urged Kedah Umno not to jump the gun by urging Barisan Nasional to review its pact with PH if Tengku Zafrul Aziz becomes a PKR member. Kedah PH deputy chief Nor Azrina Surip said the state Umno leadership should just leave it to the central leadership of both coalitions to resolve the matter harmoniously. 'We're better off leaving it to the federal leadership while those of us at the state level remain in the spirit of unity,' the Kedah PKR chief told FMT. Azrina, a member of PKR's central leadership council, said the leaders of both coalitions in Kedah should focus on improving their cooperation in preparation for the next general election. '(PKR) heeds the views of our allies in the unity government, including the concerns raised by Kedah Umno leaders,' said the former MP. Tengku Zafrul announced his exit from Umno on Friday and said he intends to join PKR. This led to calls for his resignation from his Cabinet post as well as for PKR not to accept him into the party. Kedah Umno communications director Syed Johan Rizal Syed Unan Mashri had urged BN to review its alliance with PH if Tengku Zafrul becomes a PKR member. He said it would be akin to 'stealing' an Umno leader, drawing comparisons with others defecting to Bersatu in the past.
Free Malaysia Today
10 hours ago
- Free Malaysia Today
Anti-hopping law irrelevant for Dewan Negara, says ex-president
Former Dewan Negara president Rais Yatim said senators do not represent their political party directly, only implicitly. PETALING JAYA : Former Dewan Negara president Rais Yatim has dismissed calls for the anti-hopping law to be extended to members of the Senate. Rais said the anti-hopping law was irrelevant to the Dewan Negara as senators were not elected by the people but appointed by the respective state governments or the king, Utusan Malaysia reported. He said the law should only apply to the Dewan Rakyat as MPs were elected by electoral mandates while representing their political parties. 'Senators do not represent the party directly. Their appointments do not explicitly mention the party, only implicitly. Therefore, they cannot claim to represent Umno, Bersatu, or any other party. 'It is different from the Dewan Rakyat, where elected representatives contest on party tickets and are elected by the people. In that context, anti-hopping laws are appropriate, but not for the Dewan Negara,' he said. The veteran politician, who used to be in Umno before joining Bersatu, was commenting on Tengku Zafrul Aziz's decision to quit Umno to join PKR. Umno had asked its legal bureau to look into the implications of Tengku Zafrul's exit, specifically in terms of the party-hopping law and on his status as a senator.
