KUALA LUMPUR – Umno president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi has hinted at sabotage on the heels of another postponement of the anti-party hopping bill.
He accused the government of lacking the commitment and political will to table the bill, asserting the new law risks being delayed repeatedly with such a precedent.
The Bagan Datuk MP even questioned if there were any hidden hands behind the government’s about-turn, which came days after opposition MPs gave their assurance to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob of their support for the bill.
“Are there ‘scissors between the folds’ (gunting dalam lipatan) behind this postponement?
“Surely this will disappoint the people of Malaysia who have long been waiting for this law to be enforced immediately because their mandate given to leaders during the elections was lost with party hopping,” he said in a statement posted on his Facebook page yesterday.
Zahid bemoaned the delay, saying his party Umno is among the worst affected by the absence of the anti-party hopping law, evident when several of their lawmakers defected following the defeat of Barisan Nasional in 2018.
The BN chairman even took a swipe at Pakatan Harapan (PH), saying their memorandum of understanding needs to be looked at again to insist on the tabling of the bill.
“For sure this is a great slap across the face for PH who made an agreement with the government but are actually worried about their inability and unpreparedness to face a general election if Parliament is dissolved.”
He also urged Umno lawmakers within the government to be sterner in handling this issue before invoking the wrath of the voters who want this law enforced sooner than later.
This comes in response to law minister Datuk Seri Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar confirming the indefinite postponement of the bill, saying the law still requires further studies on what defines “party-hopping”.
The decision comes despite Wan Junaidi telling Parliament in March that the bill would be tabled this Monday.
Wan Junaidi said Monday’s sitting will continue with the tabling of a constitutional amendment to facilitate the anti-party hopping bill in the future. – The Vibes, April 7, 2022
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