[UPDATED] PM to announce new date to debate anti-hopping bill

KUALA LUMPUR – Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob will be announcing a new date for another special parliamentary session to table, debate and approve the anti-hopping bill.

Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Parliament and Law) Datuk Seri Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar said in a statement that the Prime Minister’s Department and the Political Stability and Transformation Steering Committee have come to an agreement on the matter.

“Among the issues agreed by both parties is to give support to the amendment of the federal constitution involving drafting the enabling clause under Article 10 to grant power to draft a new act regarding the prohibition of members of the Dewan Rakyat changing parties.

“The preliminary draft will be distributed for the steering committee to study before the special parliamentary sitting on April 11, 2022,” said Wan Junaidi.

Originally, the bill was supposed to be tabled on Monday, April 11, 2022.

However, the government had opted to postpone the tabling of the bill again to study on what defines as “party-hopping”.

It seemed that Putrajaya cannot get its act together due to resistance from its own Perikatan Nasional coalition component linchpin Bersatu and PAS, who are fence sitting on the matter. – The Vibes, April 7, 2022