Anti-hopping: Cabinet unanimous on amending constitution first, says Annuar

 

Communications and multimedia minister Annuar Musa said the Cabinet decision was taken on the advice of the Attorney-General’s Chambers. (Bernama pic)

PETALING JAYA: Communications and multimedia minister Annuar Musa has denied claims of conflict among Cabinet members regarding the proposed law to ban party hopping by elected politicians.

“It’s just a matter of implementation, there is no difference in opinions about the bill itself,” said Annuar.

He said that there were a few ways by which the government could table the anti-hopping bill in the Dewan Rakyat.

There had been proposals to table the bill and the constitutional amendment at the same time. Other proposals were to table the bill before amending the constitution.

But the Cabinet had chosen to amend the Federal Constitution first.

The Cabinet had been advised by the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) that if the bill was tabled before the constitution is amended, the anti-hopping law would become ultra vires, as the Federal Constitution is the supreme law.

“What’s important is that the Cabinet had unanimously made a decision according to the advice of the AGC,” he said.

“This is a matter of law, so for those who say we are at loggerheads, differences of opinion in discussions are common and not everyone has the same opinion,” said Annuar, according to a Harian Metro report.

The anti-hopping bill proposes to penalise elected representatives who leave their party after being elected as MPs or state assembly members.

The move is part of a package of reforms that were negotiated between the opposition and Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob’s government in exchange for not causing the government to fall through a confidence motion.

The bill, scheduled to be tabled at the Dewan Rakyat on April 11, has been postponed reportedly because of differences of opinion in the Cabinet. Instead, a constitutional amendment will be tabled on that day.

The proposed constitutional amendment seeks to insert a new provision that will allow Parliament to pass laws to restrict the right of freedom of association for MPs and state assembly members as members of a political party.

Fears have been raised about the scope of the proposed amendment. - FMT