PETALING JAYA: Candidates from both sides of the political divide will be “cashing in” on the proposed anti-hopping law to gain votes in the coming Johor state polls, according to political analysts.

       Universiti Malaya’s Prof Dr Awang Azman Awang Pawi said the recent threat by Pakatan Harapan to withdraw support for the memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed with the government was one way it could appease its grassroots supporters ahead of the Johor state polls.

       “If pledges under the MOU are not implemented, it could cause disappointment among their grassroots supporters as Pakatan will be seen as cooperating with the government.

       “Grassroots supporters will think that the government is not taking Pakatan’s institutional reform efforts seriously.

       “They don’t want such emotions and are making such threats to appease their supporters ahead of the Johor state election,” said Awang Azman yesterday.

       International Islamic University Malaysia’s (IIUM), Prof Dr Nik Ahmad Kamal Nik Mahmod said the proposed anti-hopping law would definitely be raised by both sides during the Johor state polls.

       “It is obvious that political parties will use it for their own political ends.

       “If the Bill is not tabled in the upcoming Dewan Rakyat meeting, it will be used as a political weapon by Pakatan during campaigning in Johor,” he said, adding that the Opposition will likely use the issue to show that the government lacks seriousness in carrying out reforms under the MOU.

       On the other hand, the government will benefit if the Bill is tabled during the coming Parliament meeting, he added.

       “If this is done, the Opposition cannot argue that the government has not fulfilled its promises under the MOU,” he added.

       Meanwhile, Azmi Hassan, a senior fellow at the Nusantara Academy for Strategic Research (NASR), said there was no reason for Pakatan to make such threats, as the de facto law minister Datuk Seri Dr Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar had given an assurance that the Bill would be tabled as agreed upon under the MOU.

       He added that both Umno and PKR are likely to harp on the issue when campaigning as their parties suffered the most due to party hopping in the past.

       Prof Dr Sivamurugan Pandian of Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) described Pakatan’s demands as legitimate based on what was agreed upon by both sides in the MOU.

       He noted that it would work in the government’s favour during the polls if the proposed law was tabled within the time frame.

       “Many have expressed their concerns over party hopping since March 2020.

       “The tabling of the proposed law will show that the government is sincere in handling the issue. This will allow the government to gain trust and confidence from various bodies,” he added.

       Prof Dr Oh Ei Sun of the Singapore Institute of International Affairs said that Pakatan will likely raise the issue during campaigning owing to a lack of issues.

       “They need to bring up some issues during the Johor state polls as Pakatan, more specifically PKR, suffers from a lack of issues to champion at the moment,” he said.

       He also said such threats could be used to rouse supporter sentiments to encourage them to come out and vote.

       However, he added that the government side would have the advantage if the proposed law was tabled as it would show commitment in carrying out reforms.