THE highly-anticipated anti-party hopping law is expected to be gazetted by Sept 2 once it is passed by Parliament.
Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Parliament) Datuk Seri Dr Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar said that the draft bill has been finalised and will be tabled at the next Dewan Rakyat meeting commencing on July 18.
He said once the bill has been passed by the Dewan Rakyat and approved by the Dewan Negara it will be presented to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong by Aug 26 for his assent, and the gazettement of the law will be carried out between Aug 29 and Sept 2.
The first and second reading of the bill are expected to take place on Aug 9 and 10, respectively.
According to Wan Junaidi the draft bill was finalised by the parliamentary special select committee today (July 13) and that the questions raised by several Cabinet members on the will have also been addressed.
Wan Junaidi further noted that the Bill is expected to be debated in Dewan Rakyat on July 27 and 28, although this is subject to the discretion of the Speaker.
Previously the committee had proposed that the Bill be tabled at a one-day special sitting in early July.
However, Wan Junaidi said on June 9 that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob has decided that there is “no need for the Government to hold a special one-day Parliament sitting” to table the Constitution (Amendments) 2022 Bill.
Wan Junaidi said several factors had been considered during a discussion with Ismail Sabri.
“Overall, the government will have to bear an estimated cost of RM1,077,600, not including operational costs, if the special sitting for both the Dewan Rakyat and Dewan Negara is held,” he said in a statement.
Apart from that, Wan Junaidi said many MPs are still on official overseas trips until mid-July including the Finance and Economic Select Committee and the Security Select Committee.
The anti-party hopping law was one of the main stipulations of the memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed between Ismail Sabri’s Government and the opposition in September 2021.
The Bill was originally slated to be tabled in March this year but was delayed.
At the time, Wan Junaidi said that the Bill required “further deliberation” with stakeholders from Barisan Nasional and Perikatan Nasional to ensure that it could get sufficient support in Dewan Rakyat. – July 13, 2022
