KUALA LUMPUR (Nov 22): A component party of a coalition is bound by the recently gazetted anti-party-hopping law and cannot leave the existing coalition, while its Members of Parliament will have to vacate their seats, said former law minister and Umno supreme council member Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said.

She said that any political coalition which competed under one logo and presented one manifesto in the 15th general election (GE15) is considered a political party under the law, even more so if the candidates have obtained their watikah (appointment) to run for GE15 directly from the leader of their respective political coalitions.

“Thus, any component party which seeks to leave an existing political coalition as described above will have to vacate their seats for they have defected from a political party,” Azalina wrote on her Twitter feed on Tuesday (Nov 22).

In the case of Barisan Nasional (BN), which has component parties Umno, MCA, MIC and Parti Bersatu Rakyat Sabah (PBRS), Azalina said all BN GE15 candidates have signed a series of documents consisting of an offer letter, statutory declarations (SDs), candidacy agreement and an oath before their watikah and nomination.

“The collective implications of the documents are that all elected BN members of parliament (MPs) have declared that any seats they contested and won belong to BN, and the BN chairman (Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi) has the sole prerogative to negotiate the formation of a post-election coalition government,” she said.

She warned that any BN MPs who violate BN directives will cease to be a member of BN and will lose their parliamentary seats, under the operations of the anti-party-hopping law.

Meanwhile, caretaker Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob said the BN supreme council had decided not to support any coalition for forming new Government and wants to be in opposition.

Certain BN MPs have publicly voiced their preference, including former defence minister and Sembrong MP Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein.

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