PN wants ‘hopping’ definition fine-tuned

 

Perikatan Nasional secretary-general Hamzah Zainudin says the coalition supports the anti-hopping bill but the term ‘party-hopping’ needs to be clearly stated. (Bernama pic)

PETALING JAYA: Perikatan Nasional (PN) says it fully supports the anti-hopping bill but wants the definition of party-hopping to be fine-tuned.

PN secretary-general Hamzah Zainudin said the coalition welcomed the bill and had stated its support for the proposed constitutional amendment during its April 4 engagement with law minister Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar.

“However, to ensure that the constitutional amendment can achieve its goal, there needs to be an agreement on a clearer definition of the term ‘hopping’ in all legal instruments that will be introduced by the government,” he said in a statement.

“In our April 6 meeting, the Cabinet agreed that Article 10(3) of the Federal Constitution needed to be amended first to make room for MPs to enact an anti-hopping law that is more organised, detailed and acceptable to all.”

Yesterday, his party colleague, Wan Saiful Wan Jan, denied reports claiming that Bersatu was against the recall election provision in the draft of the anti-hopping bill.

The Bersatu information chief pointed out that the party’s supreme council member Mas Ermieyati Samsudin, who is the deputy law minister, was playing an important role in preparing the draft bill.

The anti-hopping bill, which was scheduled to be tabled in a special Dewan Rakyat sitting on April 11, has been deferred again.

On Wednesday, law minister Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar said the bill will be sent back for more study on the definition of “party hopping”.

However, Wan Junaidi said the special Dewan Rakyat sitting next Monday would go ahead with the tabling of a constitutional amendment to facilitate the tabling of the anti-hopping bill. - FMT