PETALING JAYA: The Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections (Bersih 2.0) has called for a slew of institutional reforms to be implemented to ensure post-election stability and accountability in Melaka, which goes to the polls next month.

       Its chairman Thomas Fann urged the candidates and political parties taking part in the state election to announce their manifestos and the laws they would enact to prevent anti-hopping and avert another political crisis.

       “The uncertainty of the majority support of the chief minister resulted in the fall of the state government, political instability and an erosion of the country’s democratic system.

       “They (the leaders) should enact an anti-hopping law to strengthen the supremacy of voters to dismiss elected representatives who jump or are fired from the party, either because of political differences or in pursuit of personal interests.

       “The State Constitution and state assembly meeting rules have to be amended to mandate a Confirmatory Vote of Confidence for the chief minister after appointment, whether after a new election or in the middle of a term, to strengthen the legitimacy of the chief minister and reduce attempts to drop it,” he said in a Zoom meeting yesterday.

       Fann proposed that the chief minister not be deposed unless the no-confidence vote contained the name of his successor approved by a simple majority.

       He also called for a law be enacted to provide for equal constituency development funds to all assemblymen.

       He added that the state assembly should be reformed to be a truly independent body.

       “The setting of the state assembly agenda is determined via inter-party discussions through the committee members and not determined unanimously by the Yang di-Pertua or the chief minister.

       “There should be a committee composition that ensures the participation of both government and opposition assemblymen in shaping policies,” he said.

       Nominations for the Melaka election will be on Nov 8 and polling on Nov 20.

       The polls were triggered after Sungai Udang assemblyman Datuk Seri Idris Haron and three other assemblymen withdrew their support for then chief minister Datuk Seri Sulaiman Md Ali, leading to the dissolution of the state legislative assembly.