Law minister lists three criteria for anti-hopping law

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Anti-hopping bill to be tabled at July meeting, no need for special sitting

PETALING JAYA: The anti-hopping bill will be tabled at the next meeting of Parliament, which is scheduled to begin on July 18, says law minister Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar.

He said Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob had decided that there was no need for the government to hold a special sitting to table and debate the bill.

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‘Disappointed’ PH to meet with PM over delayed anti-hopping bill

PETALING JAYA: A “disappointed” Pakatan Harapan (PH) presidential council says it is seeking a meeting with Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob over the delay in tabling the anti-hopping bill.

The Parliamentary Special Select Committee had proposed that the bill be tabled at a one-day special sitting in early July, as opposed to waiting for the scheduled Dewan Rakyat meeting from July 18 to Aug 4.

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Cabinet ‘bigwigs’ believed to be stalling anti-hopping bill

PETALING JAYA: A few Cabinet “bigwigs” are believed to be hampering efforts to have an anti-hopping law in force before the next general election, according to political sources.

Some ministers have been pushing for the anti-hopping bill to be tabled and passed by Parliament later this month.

However, a handful of influential and senior politicians are against the move, so that they would be able to lure newly-elected MPs to their side, or jump ship to the winning side and continue in power, the sources said.

MPs from Bersatu and PAS could be trying to stall, while most MPs from Umno, Pakatan Harapan, GPS and GRS are in favour of the law, a source said.

“Apparently a handful of very influential Cabinet ministers prefer the law to be put in place after GE15. They want it as an insurance to accept the frogs if they need the numbers to form the government or join winning parties.

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Anti-party hopping bill to be tabled on July 18: Wan Junaidi

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.”

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Wan Junaidi expects anti-hopping law to be in force by end-September

PETALING JAYA: Law minister Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar expects the anti-hopping law to be implemented by the end of September.

He said the law to discourage party-hopping by elected representatives should be gazetted by then, reiterating that the bill would be tabled on the first day of the next parliamentary sitting next Monday, The Borneo Post reported.

“As far as the laws are concerned, it is ready to be presented. I have a timeline and it will be laid on the table on July 18,” he was quoted as saying by the Sarawak daily.

Wan Junaidi said he was optimistic that the bill would be successfully debated and passed in the Dewan Rakyat.

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Anti-hopping law to be enforced by Sept 2 if passed

PETALING JAYA: The much-awaited anti-hopping law is expected to be gazetted by Sept 2 once it is passed by Parliament, says law minister Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar.

In a statement, he said the draft bill has been finalised and will be tabled at the next Dewan Rakyat meeting which begins on July 18.

Once the bill has been passed by the Dewan Rakyat and approved by the Dewan Negara, he said, it will be presented to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong by Aug 26 for his assent, and the gazettement of the law will be carried out between Aug 29 and Sept 2.

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MPs warned of voter anger if they block anti-hopping bill

PETALING JAYA: PKR communications director Fahmi Fadzil has warned MPs against standing in the way of the anti-hopping bill, saying they will be risking rejection by voters in the coming general election.

He said people might question the point of voting in GE15 if the Dewan Rakyat failed to pass the bill.

“Voters may ask why they should come out to vote if the bill is not passed,“ he told FMT.

“Those (MPs) who vote against the bill or don’t come out to vote for it will have some explaining to do.”

It has been speculated that a handful of influential and senior politicians are against having the law in place before GE15 so they can lure newly-elected MPs to their side or jump ship to the winning side and continue in power.

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Anti-Hopping Bill to be debated July 27: Wan Junaidi

KUALA LUMPUR – The Anti-Hopping Bill will be debated on July 27 with the winding-up session to take place on July 28 if there are no outstanding issues, Minister in Prime Minister’s Department (Parliament and Law) Datuk Seri Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar said. 

He said the bill had involved many engagement sessions since January and is already widely known among Dewan Rakyat MPs.

He added that the bill is different compared to other existing laws as it was drafted by the Select Committee and printed by the Parliament and not drafted by the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC).

“So I want to clarify here that the procedure of the bill itself, all MPs already know about it. InsyaAllah, it will be debated on the 27th and I will wind up on the evening of the 28th, at about 2.30pm.”

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PM tables anti-hopping bill

KUALA LUMPUR: The much-awaited anti-hopping bill is being tabled in the Dewan Rakyat for its second reading by Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob.

This comes after months of deliberation by the parliamentary select committee tasked with drafting the bill and nearly a year after Ismail and Pakatan Harapan signed their memorandum of understanding (MoU).

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Anti-hopping bill good start, but doesn’t address money politics: Anwar

KUALA LUMPUR – Although the tabling of the Constitution (Amendment) Bill 2022 is a good start, it does not make it compulsory for the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) to investigate allegations of money politics, which could lead to party hopping, said opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim (Port Dickson-PH).

Debating the bill in the lower House today, the PKR president also pressed the anti-graft body on the apparent lack of investigations into allegations of corruption in politics.

“There must be something wrong, if not, why would there be an amendment?

“This is a matter about the dignity and integrity of MPs. They have promised the people, then they ‘change’ (party hop) because of money and positions.

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