No anti-hopping law, no MoU: DAP tells govt

SHAH ALAM – Outgoing DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng has issued an ultimatum to the federal government over the status of the proposed anti-party hopping law.

If the government fails to fulfil its promise to enact the law, the former finance minister said, then the opposition’s memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Umno-led administration is “finished and ended”.

The MoU between the government and Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition was seen as a political ceasefire signed in September last year, with the aim of helping to bring about stability as the nation battled the Covid-19 pandemic.

Speaking at the DAP’s 17th national congress today, Lim said that there is presently some confusion over the status of the anti-hopping bill.

He cited Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Parliament and Law) Datuk Seri Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar’s statement on Friday that the bill had not been finalised as the government was unable to get feedback from the Barisan Nasional (BN) and Perikatan Nasional (PN) coalitions which are part of the administration.

However, according to Lim, the parliamentary order paper lists a constitutional amendment slated for its first reading tomorrow. As the only constitutional amendment he is aware of is the one relating to the anti-hopping law, he called for clarity on the matter.

Meanwhile, in a call for better cooperation among PH component parties, the Bagan MP said that a common logo will demonstrate unity within the coalition.

“While DAP is tempted to use the rocket logo, we will stick to the coalition logo of PH to help us win together,” he said, pointing out that no single party has won a general election on its own since independence.

He also acknowledged the coalition’s shortcomings evinced by defeats in the state elections of Johor (March 12); Melaka (November 2021); and Sarawak (December 2021).

Saying that PH needs to communicate its message better, he went on to explain that the coalition must look at its own weaknesses and focus on addressing the reasons for low voter turnout. – The Vibes, March 20, 2022