State ‘basic principles’ of anti-hopping bill, PH tells govt

 

PH leaders Mohamad Sabu, Anwar Ibrahim, Loke Siew Fook and Wilfred Madius Tangau during their meeting with Prime MInister Ismail Sabri Yaakob on April 5. (Anwar Ibrahim Twitter pic)

PETALING JAYA: Pakatan Harapan (PH) wants the government to declare the basic principles of the anti-hopping bill in the special Dewan Rakyat sitting scheduled for April 11.

The PH presidential council reiterated its stance that the passing of the anti-hopping bill in Parliament is one of the key conditions in the memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed between the coalition and Putrajaya last September.

“We understand the need to first pass the amendment to Clause 10 of the Federal Constitution to enable the tabling of the anti-hopping bill. We will support the amendment.

“But we also want the minister responsible for tabling the constitutional amendment to state clearly in the Dewan Rakyat the basic principles of the anti-hopping bill that is to be tabled and passed at the next special sitting.

“It is very clear that PH will not compromise on this matter,” the council, comprising PKR president Anwar Ibrahim, Amanah president Mohamad Sabu, DAP secretary-general Loke Siew Fook and Upko president Madius Tangau, said.

It said the draft of the anti-hopping bill must be expedited.

“This was emphasised by the MoU steering committee which met yesterday and also conveyed by the opposition leader (Anwar) in his subsequent meeting with Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob.

“We also urge the prime minister to express his commitment that the anti-hopping bill will be tabled for approval in Parliament in the near future,” it said.

It said the date of the second special sitting needed to be fixed and announced in Parliament on April 11.

PH said the people’s trust in the electoral process and parliamentary democracy will be restored when the anti-hopping bill is tabled and passed.

Under the MoU, the anti-hopping bill was supposed to be tabled during the first Dewan Rakyat meeting of this year, which ended last month.

Two days ago, law minister Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar said the tabling of the anti-hopping bill had been deferred again because the Cabinet had not agreed to tabling it on April 11.

It was reported that the government wanted to iron out pertinent matters like the definition of party hopping and also to amend the Federal Constitution before tabling the bill.

Wan Junaidi said the special Dewan Rakyat sitting on April 11 would still go ahead with the tabling of a constitutional amendment to facilitate the tabling of the anti-hopping bill. - FMT