Anti-hopping bill to be tabled on April 11

Focus

24 Mar 2022 10:51pm

'There’s no need to worry as the Prime Minister has assured that we will table this bill and will leave it to the MPs to decide for themselves', Minister in PM's department Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar says

KUALA LUMPUR - The Anti-Party Hopping Bill will be tabled at a special parliamentary sitting which has been scheduled on April 11, said Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Parliament and Law) Datuk Seri Dr Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar.

Wan Junaidi said he had discussed with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob on the date.

"I had the opportunity to discuss this with the Prime Minister and we have agreed to hold a meeting on April 11 for us to debate on the Anti-Party Hopping Bill.

"Under Regulation 11 (3) , it is indeed the power and the right of the Prime Minister to discuss with the Speaker (Dewan Rakyat) but the date was set within 14 days," he said when winding up the debate on the Constitutional (Amendment) Bill 2022 in the Dewan Rakyat. here today.

He said this in reply to a question from Lim Guan Eng (PH-Bagan) who stood up to ask when the special parliamentary sitting would be held to enable both parties to prepare accordingly.

Wan Junaidi said there was no problem for the special sitting to be held in the month of Ramadan as the Dewan Rakyat sitting had previously been held during the fasting month.

"There’s no need to worry as the Prime Minister has assured that we will table this bill and will leave it to the MPs to decide for themselves.

"The Prime Minister also said that if we are not able to debate on the bill in one day, the special sitting can be held over two days," he said.

Wan Junaidi was previously reported to have said that several proposed Constitutional amendments would be tabled during the Dewan Rakyat sitting, including the Anti-Party Hopping Bill and limiting the prime minister’s term to two terms.

This is in line with the recommendation of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob who wants the Bill to be expedited after the government signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Transformation and Political Stability with Pakatan Harapan on Sept 13, 2021.

However, the Bill could not be tabled during the current Dewan Rakyat sitting as more views and input of all parties were needed. - Bernama