Malaysia Passes ‘Historic’ Party-Hopping Ban to Put an End to Political Defection in Parliament

An electronic shop worker watches a speech by Malaysia's new Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob on television in Shah Alam, Malaysia, on Aug. 22, 2021. Lai Seng Sin/AP Photo

The lower house of the Malaysian Parliament passed a bill on Thursday to prevent members of parliament (MPs) from “jumping” or switching parties in the middle of their terms in a bid to curb political defection.

So-called “party hopping” contributed to the downfall of the former Pakatan Harapan government in 2020.