Constitutional amendment first on April 11, anti-hopping Bill later

KUALA LUMPUR: Parliament will convene for a special sitting to table and debate the Constitution (Amendment) (No.3) Bill 2022 on Monday (April 11).

The special sitting of the Dewan Rakyat will take place on Monday (April 11) and a special sitting of the Dewan Negara will take place on Tuesday (April 12).

The tabling and debate will involve the enactment of an enabling clause under Article 10 of the Federal Constitution to allow a new law prohibiting MPs from switching parties.

However, the Constitution (Amendment) Bill on Anti-Party Hopping, which was previously scheduled to be tabled, debated and passed at this special sitting, has been postponed to another special sitting to be determined later.

The postponement was agreed at a meeting of the Steering Committee on Transformation and Political Stability last Thursday (April 7), which was attended by Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Parliament and Law) Datuk Seri Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar and the committee’s chairman Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail.

Apart from Wan Junaidi and Saifuddin Nasution, other government and Opposition bloc representatives who attended the meeting included Communications and Multimedia Minister Tan Sri Annuar Musa, Alor Gajah MP Datuk Seri Mohd Redzuan Md Yusof, DAP Secretary-General Anthony Loke Siew Fook who is also Seremban MP and Puchong MP Gobind Singh Deo

The tabling and debate of the Anti-Party Hopping Bill was postponed for the second time after it was scheduled to be tabled for the first reading on March 24.

The Bill could not be tabled at the Dewan Rakyat sitting last March to obtain the views and input of all parties involved.

Prior to this, Wan Junaidi said that several proposed constitutional amendments would be tabled during the Dewan Rakyat sitting last March, including the Anti-Party Hopping Bill and limiting the Prime Minister’s time in office to two terms.

This is in line with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob’s call for the Bill to be expedited after the government signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on Transformation and Political Stability with Pakatan Harapan on Sept 13, 2021.

On April 2, Wan Junaidi revealed that a total of 39 MPs in the country had jumped parties since 2018 which had led to political instability in Malaysia, with the country witnessing three prime ministers being appointed in a single parliamentary term.

A special Parliament sitting is a meeting held while the Council is in adjournment.

In accordance with the Dewan Rakyat Standing Order 11(3), the business of the meeting shall be determined by the Prime Minister and notification of the business shall be sent to members not later than the time to hold the meeting.

The Special Parliament sitting is also different from the regular session as there will be no other government matters and oral question and answer session.

This special sitting is the third in a year after a special meeting on the Proclamation of Emergency and Emergency Ordinances was held on July 26 last year and on flood issues on Jan 20.

Prior to that, the Parliament held special sittings to discuss the Gaza issue on Jan 12, 2009, the MH17 crash on July 23, 2014 and the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA) on Jan 26 and 27, 2016.

Meanwhile, the Second Meeting of the Fifth Session of the 14th Parliament is scheduled for July 18 to Aug 4, while the Third Meeting is scheduled for 31 days from Oct 26 to Dec 15. – Bernama