All PH reps to back anti-hopping bill

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PETALING JAYA: Pakatan Harapan has assured Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob that all its MPs will back the anti-hopping bill.

The PH presidential council said this was conveyed to the prime minister in a meeting today.

“The prime minister also gave his commitment that there will be no changes to the special Dewan Rakyat sitting scheduled for April 11,” they said in a joint statement.

The PH leaders also said opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim had raised the issue of the alleged ownership of the MySejahtera application by a foreign company and that clarification on the matter was needed in Parliament.

The joint statement was signed by Anwar, who is also the PKR president, Amanah president Mohamad Sabu, DAP secretary-general Loke Siew Fook and Upko president Wilfred Madius Tangau.

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Cabinet asks for revision of anti-hopping bill, say sources

PETALING JAYA: The Cabinet has asked for revisions to the anti-hopping bill, five days prior to a special Dewan Rakyat sitting on the matter, FMT has learned.

Well-placed sources also said that Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob will be chairing a meeting this Sunday about the bill.

“All the MPs and senators will be called.”

However, the tabling of a constitutional amendment related to the bill will take place on Monday, to ensure that the Anti-Hopping Act would not contravene the constitution.

“The Act itself won’t be tabled on Monday.

“Once the Federal Constitution is amended, the Act would no longer require a two-third majority.”

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PH risks losing support over anti-hopping bill delay, says analyst

PETALING JAYA: The government’s move to defer the tabling of an anti-hopping bill is a setback for Pakatan Harapan (PH) as it would see its supporters lose confidence in the opposition coalition, an analyst said.

These supporters would have expected PH to exert pressure on the government with whom it had signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) last September, Awang Azman Pawi of Universiti Malaya said.

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Call emergency meeting on anti-hopping bill deferment, DAP man tells PH

PETALING JAYA: Pakatan Harapan (PH) should convene an emergency meeting to decide its next move after the tabling of the anti-hopping bill was deferred again, a Selangor DAP leader said today.

Ronnie Liu made the call in the wake of a report quoting law minister Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar as saying that the tabling had to be deferred because the Cabinet had not agreed to it.

The anti-hopping bill was scheduled to be tabled in a special Dewan Rakyat sitting on April 11.

“(It is) time for PH to hold an emergency meeting to decide on the next step,” he told FMT.

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Don’t incite people’s anger, Zahid warns Umno ministers on anti-hopping bill

PETALING JAYA: Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi has warned party members in the Cabinet to take a stronger stand on the anti-hopping bill which has been delayed further, or risk inciting anger from the people.

In a Facebook post, Zahid said there seemed to be a lack of assertiveness and political will following the further deferment in tabling the bill, questioning if there was any duplicity in play over the delay.

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Anti-hopping bill held up by ‘political frogs’ in Cabinet, says Shahrir

PETALING JAYA: Umno veteran Shahrir Samad says the government is having a tough time tabling the anti-hopping bill as there are Cabinet members who are “political frogs” themselves.

Noting how 39 MPs switched political allegiance after the 14th general election in May 2018, Shahrir claimed the parliamentarians did so to avoid being charged in court or to get better positions.

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Law minister hails progress in anti-hopping law, MPs set to view draft Bill on April 11

KUALA LUMPUR, April 7 — Ongoing negotiations to draft a law prohibiting party-hopping have made progress after government and opposition lawmakers reach an agreement on several key points, including to back an amendment that would allow passage for the Act under the Federal Constitution.

Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Parliament and Law) Datuk Seri Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar made the announcement in a statement issued this evening, concluding today’s talks with members of the Joint Steering Committee on Transformation and Political Stability, the panel overseeing the draft.

“Among matters that we agreed on by both parties was to support an amendment to the Federal Constitution involving the enactment of an enabling clause under Article 10 that would empower the enactment of a new act to prevent Dewan Rakyat members from switching sides,” he said.

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Show us draft of anti-hopping bill, says Bersatu man

JITRA: The government has been urged to share the final draft of a law to ban party hopping before it is tabled at Parliament.

Bersatu information chief Wan Saiful Wan Jan said all parties, including NGOs and academics, should be allowed to give their views on ways to improve the bill.

“Currently, we all agree with the bill without knowing what is in the final draft,” he said. “We have experts from NGOs, we have academic experts, everyone should be given the opportunity to improve any weaknesses.”

The government has postponed the tabling of the anti-hopping bill, originally scheduled to be tabled in the Dewan Rakyat on April 11, after differences of opinion among Cabinet members.

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Ismail holds opposition MPs to their promise of support

PETALING JAYA: Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob is banking on opposition support in the Dewan Rakyat tomorrow to pass a constitutional amendment that will pave the way for an anti-hopping law.

Speaking to reporters after a briefing for MPs on the proposed amendment, he expressed confidence that the Constitution (Amendment) Bill (No.3) 2022 will be approved by the House.

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Exempt independents from anti-hopping law, says Sng

KUALA LUMPUR: Julau MP Larry Sng proposed in the Dewan Rakyat today that independent MPs be exempted from the anti-hopping law.

Debating the bill on the constitutional amendment to facilitate the tabling of the anti-hopping law, the Parti Bangsa Malaysia MP said the exemption should be given to independent MPs as they had won through their own efforts and not through any party’s support.

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