THE Cabinet has decided that the bill for an anti-hopping law needed “further deliberation” ahead of its tabling in the Dewan Rakyat.
Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Parliament and Law) Datuk Seri Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar said that the bill, which also seeks to limit the tenure of the prime minister, is supposed to be tabled in the current sitting of the Dewan Rakyat.
However, the bill needs to be deliberated further with stakeholders from Barisan Nasional (BN) and Perikatan Nasional (PN) to make sure that it can get sufficient support in Dewan Rakyat.
“Under Article 159 of the Federal Constitution we need a two-thirds majority support in the Dewan Rakyat to amend the Federal Constitution,” Wan Junaidi said in a statement.
Letters had been issued to all party leaders for their feedback on the bill earlier this week, he added.
“This is a continuation of the previous nine engagement sessions I have had with the Legal Affairs Division, the Prime Minister’s Department and the Attorney-General’s Chambers,” he remarked.
“These sessions included members of the Dewan Rakyat and Dewan Negara along with component parties, including those in Sabah and Sarawak.”
According to Wan Junaidi, the bill would be tabled during a special Parliament session in accordance with Regulations 11(3) Standing Orders of the Dewan Rakyat and Dewan Negara once the engagement sessions have concluded and the Cabinet’s approval has been obtained.
The Santubong MP further noted that the Government remains committed to tabling the bill and to ensure political stability in the country.
On Tuesday (March 15), electoral reform group Bersih had urged the Government to table the bill as soon as possible in the current parliamentary sitting in order to convince the public it is still committed to the reform agreement it had signed with the Opposition.
It was earlier reported that Pakatan Harapan (PH) told the Government the memorandum of understanding (MOU) it signed last year would be declared void if the anti-hopping bill was not tabled at the current Dewan Rakyat sitting.
Opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim previously warned that PH’s MOU with Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob’s Government would automatically lapse if the Government fails to table a proposed law to prohibit party hopping.
He also said that the PH coalition has reminded the prime minister of this particular requirement to maintain the historic MOU for the country’s political stability. – March 18, 2022
