KUALA LUMPUR – Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob has assured that the constitutional amendments regarding the Anti-Party Hopping Bill will be presented to Parliament next week.
This follows his meeting with opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng and Amanah president Mohamad Sabu.
According to a Facebook post by opposition coalition Pakatan Harapan, the meeting was held at the prime minister’s office in Parliament earlier today.
It added that the 40-minute discussion involved the matter of relaxing the standard operating procedures (SOPs) for the upcoming Johor election as the nation transitions into the endemic phase of Covid-19.
“The prime minister had given his commitment to ensuring that a constitutional amendment regarding anti-party hopping will be tabled in Parliament next week.
“Discussions also touched on the issue of SOPs for the Johor polls which were requested to be relaxed a bit more since the country is about to enter the endemic phase,” it said.
The first meeting of the fifth session of the 14th Parliament was opened by Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah in the Dewan Rakyat yesterday.
The Dewan Rakyat session, which was adjourned on December 20 last year, is the second under Ismail Sabri’s government.
Lasting for 16 days until March 24, the meeting is set to focus on efforts to prepare the country to enter the endemic phase of Covid-19 as well as on political stability through the government’s intention to table the Anti-Party Hopping Bill.
The meeting will also see the election of a new Dewan Rakyat deputy speaker to replace Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said who had resigned on August 23 last year. – The Vibes, March 1, 2022