Penang's anti-hopping law is valid: Apex court

Penang's anti-hopping law is valid: Apex court


The Federal Court has ruled in favour of the validity of Penang’s anti-hopping law.

The seven-person bench chaired by Chief Justice Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat (above) today made the unanimous ruling over the referral question on the legality and constitutionality of Section 14A of the Penang state constitution.

On July 28, the Dewan Rakyat successfully passed the federal-level anti-hopping bill with no objections from the 209 lawmakers present, with 11 absentees.

The apex court matter is linked to the main legal challenge by four state assemblypersons over the validity of article 14A, which states that an assemblyperson - who initially won an election as a candidate of a political party - must vacate the seat if he or she is expelled or leaves the party.

The three originating motions - by Zulkifli Ibrahim (Sungai Acheh), Afif Bahardin (Seberang Jaya), Khaliq Mehtab Mohd Ishaq (Bertam), and Zolkifly Md Lazim (Telok Bahang) - are pending before the High Court in Georgetown, Penang.