Wan Junaidi claims his committee has shown 'excellent performance'

 

The select committee on restricting MPs from switching parties has met three times and their performance has been "excellent", said committee chairperson Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar.

"The members of the special select committee had agreed on several policy issues pertaining to the proposed bill and are still in the process of deliberating and finalising the bill," he said in a statement today.

Wan Junaidi who is also minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Parliament and Law), said the select committee decided that it will be obtaining written submissions from interest groups, political parties and academicians on the "parameters" of the bill.

Wan Junaidi's statement made no mention of whether the committee would be summoning witnesses to attend committee meetings in person, which was the norm for select committees.

Under Section 16 of the Houses of Parliament (Privileges and Powers) Act 1952, Parliament or any of its committees can summon witnesses.

This is the first update from the select committee since it began convening on April 15.

Urged to reveal dates

Earlier today, the Coalition for Free and Fair Elections (Bersih) had urged the select committee to reveal their meeting dates, key decisions, the status of the bill and name those who will be making submissions to the committee.

Bersih argued that similar legislative processes in the United Kingdom would not have been obscured in such a manner.

However, Wan Junaidi, in his statement today, did not reveal the upcoming meeting dates and said he was compelled to ensure the secrecy of discussions and documents in line with Standing Order 85.

This select committee was formed on April 11 during the special meeting of the Dewan Rakyat in lieu of an actual bill to address the problem of MPs switching parties.

On April 6, the cabinet had abruptly decided to switch bills - removing a bill which Wan Junaidi's team had worked on for months and replacing it with a watered-down bill with an "enabling clause" for a separate law.

Ismail Sabri Yaakob

Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob struck a deal with Pakatan Harapan moments before the special meeting of the Dewan Rakyat, avoiding a vote on the new bill - which would likely have been defeated - and forming the new select committee to design a better bill.

The law to prevent lawmakers from defecting was the cornerstone of Ismail Sabri's confidence-and-supply agreement with Harapan.

Under the agreement, the law was supposed to have been passed during the first sitting of Parliament this year. That deadline lapsed on March 24. - Mkini