Definition of party-hopping needs more fine-tuning, says Hamzah

PETALING JAYA: While supporting the move to pave the way to enact anti-hopping laws, the definition of party-hopping needs to be further fine-tuned, says Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin.

The Perikatan Nasional secretary-general said an engagement session was held to discuss the proposed anti-hoping law and the Constitution Amendment Bill on April 4 between the Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Parliament and Law) with parties under the coalition.

"In the engagement session, Perikatan fully welcomed and supported the spirit and intention behind the proposed constitutional amendments related to party hopping.

"However, to ensure that the constitutional amendments can achieve its goals, the definition and details of ‘jumping’ needs to be agreed upon within whatever legal instrument that will be introduced by the government soon," he said in a statement Friday (April 8).

Hamzah, who is also the Home Minister, said the Cabinet during its meeting on April 6, agreed that Article 10(3) of the Federal Constitution needs to be amended first to give space to MPs to enact specific laws related to anti-hopping, more systematically, detailed and accepted by all parties.

"Perikatan takes note of the government's preparedness to table and amend the Constitution first during the upcoming special Dewan Rakyat sitting on Monday (April 11).

"The decision was prudent and a responsible one made by the government," added Hamzah.

The anti-hopping Bill was initially scheduled to be tabled on March 24, but it was then postponed to a special parliamentary sitting next Monday (April 11).

However, on Thursday (April 7), Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Dr Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar announced that amendments to the Constitution will be carried out first to pave the way for the tabling of a separate anti-hopping Bill.

Wan Junaidi also said that both sides have agreed to a new special parliamentary sitting to table, debate and approve the proposed anti-party hopping Bill.

The new date of the special parliamentary sitting, said Wan Junaidi, will be decided by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob.

The Pakatan Harapan presidential council had stated that the new dates for the special parliamentary sitting to table the anti-party hopping Bill should be announced in the Dewan Rakyat during next Monday's sitting.