Anti-hopping law to be tabled in July, says PM

 

Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob said there was no intention not to table the bill. (Bernama pic)

PUTRAJAYA: A proposed law to ban party-hopping by MPs is to be tabled in Parliament in July, says Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob.

Ismail said a parliamentary select committee will be formed to draft the anti-hopping law which will include representatives from the government, opposition and possibly academicians with expertise on the matter.

He said there are also proposals for the new law to cover senators, but this is subject to approval of the Speaker of the Dewan Rakyat.

“There is no intention to not table or delay the tabling of the anti-hopping bill,” he told reporters in Putrajaya.

Opposition politicians had accused the government of seeking to avoid tabling the bill after the government announced that a constitutional amendment, instead of the anti-hopping bill, would be tabled at a special sitting of Parliament beginning tomorrow.

The government said last week that the amendment to the Constitution would be tabled first to enable a federal anti-hopping law to be enacted later.

The prime minister’s announcement came after a briefing was held for MPs and senators about the proposed constitutional amendment. He dismissed claims that there had been any boycott by opposition MPs, who had held a separate briefing on the same issue.

The parliamentary affairs minister, Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar said in a separate statement that four opposition MPs had attended the briefing. The four comprised two members each from DAP and Warisan. They were Wong Kah Woh (Ipoh Timor) and Dr Kelvin Yii (Bandar Kuching) both DAP; and Rozman Isli (Labuan) and Ma’mun Sulaiman (Kalabakan), both of Warisan.

Lembah Pantai MP Fahmi Fadzil confirmed with FMT that a separate briefing was held by the opposition bloc led by Anwar Ibrahim. “All representatives of the opposition were in attendance, including those from Pejuang, Warisan, and Muda,” he said.

The tabling of a constitutional amendment related to the bill will take place on Monday, to ensure that the proposed anti-hopping law would not contravene the Constitution.

Yesterday, communications and multimedia minister Annuar Musa denied claims of conflict among Cabinet members regarding the anti-hopping law.

He said the Cabinet had chosen to amend the Federal Constitution first, following the advice of the Attorney-General’s Chambers, so that the new anti-hopping law would not contravene the Constitution.

The anti-hopping law is part of a package of reforms negotiated between the opposition and Ismail’s government in exchange for not causing the government to fall through a confidence motion. - FMT