KOTA KINABALU: The Sabah government has informed state Speaker that they would be tabling anti-hopping law but it is yet to be known if it will be tabled at next week's state assembly sitting beginning during the May 22, says state Speaker Datuk Seri Kadzim Yahya.
He said the state government informed him of the plan after he told them that Senallang assemblyman Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal had sought the assembly's permission to table a private member's Bill on anti-hopping.
"I have written to inform the state government about the application for a private member's Bill and they said the state is also planning to table an anti-party hopping Bill.
"As the government is tabling the Bill, I don't think it is necessary for a private member’s Bill to be tabled," he told reporters on Tuesday (May 16) after a meeting on preparation for the opening of the first meeting of the Sabah assembly by Governor Tun Juhar Mahiruddin on May 22.
However, Kadzim did not know if the Bill would be tabled during the upcoming meeting as he had not been informed of the details.
"We have three Bills so far to be tabled. There are minor Bills seeking amendments. Maybe the state Cabinet will make a decision when they meet this week," he said.
Personally, Kadzim felt that a special assembly meeting should be held for the anti-party hopping Bill as it would involve lengthy debates.
Shafie, the Parti Warisan president, had submitted a request to table an anti-party hopping Bill as the state government has yet to adopt the similar law by Parliament, which came into effect in October last year.
On whether the state assembly would relax the dress code requirements for assemblymen not to wear ties as done in Parliament, Kadzim said that the Sabah assembly will continue with the usual dress codes.
"We will require them to wear ties," he said, adding that perhaps if the assembly session ran late into the evening, he would allow them to remove their ties.
