KUALA LUMPUR – The anti-hopping bill passed its final hurdle after the cabinet unanimously agreed with its draft to be tabled in Parliament later this month.
Law Minister Datuk Seri Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar said the cabinet today agreed with and supported the bill prepared by the Parliamentary Special Select Committee (PSSC).
He also said the cabinet meeting on the matter today went “smoothly” with no questions raised by the ministers as all had unanimously agreed with the bill.
“Therefore, the tabling and debate on this draft bill at Parliament’s upcoming second meeting will proceed in accordance with what was previously planned,” he said in a statement.
Wan Junaidi also said the latest amendment and draft of the bill will be laid on the MPs’ tables on July 18 for early reference.
He added that the second reading of the draft bill would be held in the upcoming parliamentary session on July 27 and 28, depending on the consideration of the speaker.
Earlier this week, PSSC member Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said said the committee has wrapped up its final meeting and is tipped to debate the bill in Parliament soon.
On Saturday, Wan Junaidi said the bill will be tabled in Parliament on July 18.
He expressed his confidence the bill would be tabled without a hitch, adding that no other matters should be standing in the way of the law.
The bill was tabled in Parliament on April 11, but the Dewan Rakyat agreed to refer it to the PSSC for further deliberation before putting it up for vote.
The government had initially planned to pass the law then, but was forced to postpone it after resistance from certain quarters in the cabinet, who disagreed with the current definition of party-hopping.
Wan Junaidi himself is the chairman of the PSSC, which has ten other members.
It was tasked with scrutinising constitutional amendments and definitions needed to introduce any anti-hopping legislation. – The Vibes, July 14, 2022
