KUALA LUMPUR – DAP’s youth wing (Dapsy) has called on Putrajaya to immediately set a new date within the month for the tabling of the anti-party hopping bill.
This follows Law Minister Datuk Seri Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar’s announcement yesterday that the proposed tabling of the bill has been deferred indefinitely, despite him telling Parliament in March that the bill would be tabled on 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.
Expressing its backing of the constitutional amendment that will be tabled on Monday, Dapsy said that the government should also make known its commitment to setting a new date.
“All MPs should also profess their support of the constitutional amendment,” it urged in a statement today, adding that the bill is a necessity in Malaysia’s current political situation.
“Every Malaysian, especially youths who will be voting for the first time in future elections, have a right to a guarantee that their vote will be respected and maintained.”
The tabling of the anti-party hopping bill is among the items agreed by Pakatan Harapan and the government under the memorandum of understanding between the two parties, which was signed on September 13 last year and will lapse when Parliament dissolves.
However, it seems that the government itself is facing strong resistance from component parties in Perikatan Nasional – namely from ousted former prime minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin’s Bersatu, while Umno’s erstwhile ally in the coalition PAS is said to be “on the fence”.
This might be among the considerations given as to why the government decided to postpone the tabling of the bill, with Wan Junaidi 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. – The Vibes, April 7, 2022
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