KUALA LUMPUR – The government’s plan to table the anti-party hopping bill this Monday was supposedly hampered by, among others, its failure to garner the support of its own components.
Chiefly, it is understood the strongest resistance is coming from Bersatu, while PAS is also said to be on the fence – both are part of the Perikatan Nasional (PN) coalition.
Several lawmakers from both sides spoke to The Vibes and said they are aware of the opposition to the bill from within the government.
Sources also claimed that Bersatu’s view on the matter was brought up in yesterday’s cabinet meeting.
This might be among the considerations given as to why the government decided to postpone the tabling of the bill, with law minister Datuk Seri Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar saying further studies will be conducted on what defines “party-hopping”.
PN ministers and deputy ministers, when contacted, neither confirmed nor denied suggestions that their parties are holding back support for the bill.
“I don’t want to comment yet. The matter is still being discussed in Bersatu. You will have to wait for a statement by the president,” said a Bersatu leader.
A fellow Bersatu cabinet member, when asked, said he could not speak on behalf of his party.
PAS’ Deputy Agriculture and Food Industries Minister Datuk Nik Muhammad Zawawi Salleh, meanwhile, said his party has yet to make a decision, adding that the matter will be deliberated with Bersatu.
While the exact motivation behind Bersatu’s apprehension towards the proposed law is uncertain, the political outfit is currently made up largely of party-hoppers.
‘Support bill if you’re sincere’
Speaking to The Vibes, Umno president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said he is aware of the pushback from parties like Bersatu in supporting the government’s bid to pass the anti-hopping law.
The Barisan Nasional (BN) chief whip, however, urged all parties to support the Bill if they were truly sincere about championing the voices of the people.
“What’s important is the interest of the nation. I hope they recognise this.”
Pejuang secretary-general and Kubang Pasu MP Datuk Amiruddin Hamzah said he is made to understand that the reason the tabling of the bill has been pushed back several times is due to opposition from Bersatu.
With a constitutional amendment also required to pass the law, he said this could have pressured the government to postpone the tabling, fearing it would fail to obtain the elusive two-thirds support required.
“The law minister has been doing his homework for months. The reason it is taking so long is that Bersatu cabinet members are against it. This is what I heard.”
On whether the four Pejuang MPs will support the bill when it is tabled, Amiruddin said they will have to go through the bill first before making a decision, saying they are opposed to certain components of the proposed legislation in its supposed current state.
“I understand even those who were sacked from their party will have to relinquish their seats. That, we cannot support. This was exactly what happened to the Pejuang MPs when we objected to Bersatu’s decision to quit PH.”
Pakatan all in for anti-party hopping law
Pakatan Harapan (PH) chief whip Datuk Johari Abdul similarly claimed knowledge of supposed resistance from Bersatu in supporting the government-sponsored Bill, and said this may have motivated its deferment.
The Sg Petani MP also expressed bemusement as to why certain parties would have any ulterior motive to reject such a “good bill”, arguing that anyone with any sense of protecting the nation will be supporting it.
As for PH, Johari said all component members have agreed to support the bill if it is tabled, with clear instructions also issued on the matter.
He is also confident that even if PN was to reject the bill, there will be enough numbers from other members of Parliament to see through its passing.
Bersatu and PAS have 32 and 17 MPs respectively, but on their own, will be insufficient to reject a constitutional amendment in the 220-member Dewan Rakyat – a two-thirds majority means at least 73 downvotes are required for a bill to be rejected.
The passing of the bill will also depend on the attendance of the MPs and whether every other party and members of the house are in support.
Muda’s sole representative in Parliament Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman told The Vibes that he was all in for stopping political frogging, while fellow opposition party Warisan had also previously made clear its support.
Meanwhile, Parti Bangsa Malaysia’s Tebrau MP Steven Choong said his party, which has two representatives in the Dewan Rakyat, is still on the fence on whether to back the legislation, and will only decide once they get a copy of the bill. – The Vibes, April 7, 2022
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