In a statement today, Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow has insisted that the Penang state government does not intend to amend the Penang state Constitution to align it with the newly amended provisions in the Federal Constitution. The need to amend the state constitution to remove any doubt that it contradicts the Federal Constitution, is the legal opinion of DAP lawyers as well as the considered view of DAP Legal Bureau chief and MP for Bukit Glugor Ramkarpal Singh.
In my capacity as the then Penang Chief Minister, I had moved in the Penang State Assembly in 2012 to amend the Penang state constitution to ban party-hopping by State Assemblymen who either resigned or were expelled from their party. Much as I support these 2012 amendments, my concern is that they should not be inconsistent with the new Federal constitutional amendments passed by Parliament in July this year that regarded resignation but not expulsion as a member as party-hopping.
However, if the Penang state government feels that there is no need to amend the Penang state Constitution to align it with the Federal Constitution, then I have at least done my duty as a State Assemblyman to voice out such concerns.