Pass anti-hopping law or MoU is bust, Pakatan tells govt

KUALA LUMPUR – The Pakatan Harapan (PH) presidential council today reminded the government that the planned anti-party hopping law was a primary condition for political cooperation between the two sides when they sealed the deal last year.

Last September, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob brokered a political ceasefire with PH, which guaranteed support for his 2022 budget and for Parliament to remain intact at least until July 31 this year.

However, the government said it would not be able to table the bill at a special parliamentary sitting on April 11, as it reviews feedback from stakeholders on certain sections of the proposed legislation.

The PH leadership said it supports the move to first amend the federal constitution to ensure that the government has legal grounds to table the anti-party hopping bill, but stressed that the prime minister must announce on April 11 the new date for a special parliamentary meeting to table the proposed law.

“It is abundantly clear that Pakatan Harapan will not compromise on this,” the council said in a statement.

Yesterday, Law Minister Datuk Seri Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar said the decision to defer tabling of the bill was due to resistance to certain parts of the bill from within the cabinet. – The Vibes, April 8, 2022