THE Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) has reached a consensus on almost all policy matters on the draft Bill pertaining to anti-hopping laws, said PSC chairperson Datuk Seri Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar.
Wan Junaidi who is also the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Parliament and Law) said that this was achieved during the fourth PSC meeting held in Parliament yesterday (May 12).
“The committee meeting today (yesterday) has reached a consensus on almost all policy matters on the drafting of this Bill as proposed under Standing Order 54 (2) and the establishment of a Select Committee under Rule 81 (1) of the House of Representatives which has been approved during the Special Meeting session on April 11,” he said in a statement today.
““The select committee had also obtained written submissions from non-governmental organisations (NGOs), social organisations (CSOs), political parties and academic experts on the parameters of the drafting of this Bill. The next meeting will review the written views before the Bill can be finalised.
“All proceedings in this select committee will be recorded in a statement in accordance with the stipulations of Meeting Rule 80 (1). This statement will be presented to the members of the select committee for approval and subsequently will be tabled and debated in a special session of the Dewan Rakyat proposed to be held in June 2022.
According to Wan Junaidi the Bill would be tabled in both the Dewan Rakyat and Dewan Negara at a time to be determined later.
The select committee will convene again on May 19 to review the draft Bill prepared by the Attorney-General’s Chambers based on the feedback received through all policy decisions and detailed interpretations made at the meeting.
Apart from the PSC the Bill will also be reviewed by the Transformation and Political Stability Steering Committee. No date has been set for this.
The steering committee (better known as the “memorandum of understanding committee”) oversees the implementation of the confidence-and-supply agreement (CSA) between Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob and Pakatan Harapan.
There is no fixed deadline for the PSC to complete its duties although it has proposed that a special Dewan Rakyat sitting be held on June 7 to table the bill.
The anti-hopping law was a cornerstone legislation which Ismail Sabri promised in the CSA. It was supposed to be passed by the first meeting of the Dewan Rakyat this year. That deadline lapsed on March 24.
Since 2018, there have been 39 MPs who switched parties, leading to changes of government at both the federal and state levels. – May 13, 2022
