LETTERS: In July 2019, Parliament passed a bill reducing the voting age for general elections from 21 to 18.
It was heartening to note that 211 out of 222 lawmakers supported the amendments to the constitution for this purpose.
Hopefully, come 15th General Election, Malaysians will vote in younger candidates who are concerned about wastage of public funds, corruption, mismanagement, climate change and food security.
I also think parliamentarians on both sides of the political divide should support the idea to amend the constitution and prevent by-elections in the event of a legislator's death or resignation or conviction of a legislator.
The party that won the seat should be given the opportunity to nominate a successor to fill the seat until the next general election.
If the seat held by an independent legislator falls vacant, then the constituency should be administered by City Hall or the local authority.
Besides amending the constitution, Parliament should also enact an Anti-Hopping Act.
This will restore the dignity and integrity of our august houses. Money politics, too, can be eliminated through this Act.
It's high time that politics be looked upon as an honourable profession and not a conduit for personal gain at the expense of the people.
Party hopping is not only immoral and unprofessional, but it also causes political instability.
Most legislators are voted into office based on their party's appeal rather than their credentials.
It is, therefore, incumbent on members of parliament and assemblymen to serve and stand by the same party throughout the full parliamentary or state assembly term. They should not jump ship for flimsy reasons.
If they intend to leave the party, they can do it and join another party once the house is dissolved and stand under a new ticket in the next election.
Only an Anti-Hopping Act will infuse a sense of respectability in our lawmakers as there will be no place for frogs.
We folks refer to MPs and assemblymen as Yang Berhormat, or YB.
Will it be morally right for their constituents to still refer to them using this respectable term after they have switched their allegiance?
BENEDICT LOPEZ
Kuala Lumpur
The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect those of the New Straits Times
