KUALA LUMPUR – The anti-party hopping bill will be tabled in Parliament on July 18, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Parliament and Law) Datuk Seri Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar said today.
According to Dayak Daily, he expressed his conviction in the tabling going off without a hitch, adding that there should be no other matters standing in the way of the law.
“I am confident that there will be no more obstacles or arguments on the draft. They will be given time to debate and pass the law,” he was quoted as saying to reporters after handing over 66 cows for Hari Raya Haji at the Animal Quarantine Station at Jalan Bako in Kuching.
“Therefore, I am optimistic we can get approval from all the MPs so that the law can be gazetted as soon as possible.”
He also reiterated that it is unnecessary for the federal government to hold a special one-off sitting to table the constitutional amendments since the Second Meeting of the Fifth Session of the 14th Parliament is just nine days away.
Last month, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob decided that there is no need for a special parliamentary sitting on the proposed anti-party hopping bill.
Wan Junaidi then said in a statement that several factors had been considered during discussions with the prime minister, namely how government finances saved without the holding of a special sitting can be spent on other matters, such as helping the people survive.
“On the whole, the total cost the government will have to bear is approximately RM1,077,600, excluding operating costs, if special sittings were to be held in the lower and upper houses.”
The introduction of the anti-hopping law, which was initially supposed to be tabled during the March parliamentary sitting, has already been postponed several times previously.
Meanwhile, Wan Junaidi also commented on the issue of rising cost of living in the country, saying that there is no need to hold a special parliamentary sitting to address the matter, considering how close the upcoming Parliament sitting is.
“It is going to be very costly to call all the MPs, its officers and so on just to meet for one separate day,” he stressed, noting that any MP who wishes to discuss the increasing cost of goods must first submit a motion to obtain approval from the speaker.
“The MP must take the initiative to submit the motion. Then, it is up to the speaker on whether to allow it. However, I am confident that the speaker will allow the opportunity to discuss the issue, because it involves the interest of the people,” he said.
Some 100 students and youth had gathered at the Pasar Seni LRT station last weekend to raise their frustrations with the alleged lack of substantive action from the government in handling the upwards cost of living.
Amanah had also organised a similar protest, warning the government that it would hold a bigger gathering if authorities failed to meet their demands by July 16.
The party outlined three demands, namely for the government to return food subsidies, abolish food import permits, and for the issue to be raised in the next Parliament sitting. – The Vibes, July 9, 2022
