MB: Pahang ready to table anti-hopping law if opposition supports it

 

The Pahang government is ready to table an anti-party hopping bill at the state legislative assembly if it gets the support of the opposition, said Menteri Besar Wan Rosdy Wan Ismail.

"We are thinking about it (the Bill) because if tabled, we need two-thirds support (to have it passed) and the current (state) government does not have enough numbers for that.

"We will get their (the opposition's) consent first... if they agree, we will table it," Wan Rosdy (above) said at a press conference after launching the Bantuan Prihatin Pahang (BPP) 2023 aid for Year One pupils at SK Mat Kilau in Kuantan today.

The state assembly is expected to convene in May.

The support of the opposition is necessary to get a two-thirds majority vote as following the 15th general election, BN obtained 17 seats, Perikatan Nasional (17 seats) and Pakatan Harapan (seven seats). The current Pahang government comprises BN and Harapan, with a majority of 25 seats.

Pahang is among the states that have not adopted the anti-party hopping law for assemblypersons since it came into force at the Federal level on Oct 5, 2022, after being passed by the Dewan Rakyat and Dewan Negara and receiving the consent of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.

Commenting on today's programme, Wan Rosdy said the state government had allocated BPP amounting to RM2.514 million for 25,146 Year One students (RM100 per pupil) to be distributed from today until April 7 in all 540 primary schools in Pahang.

This year, the state government has allocated RM42.4 million for BPP, an increase of RM8 million from last year, to benefit 218,193 individuals from various target groups.

The BPP was introduced in 2020 in line with the state government's desire to return the state’s revenue and profits back to the people through the provision of various forms of assistance.

- Bernama