Pasir Gudang MP: Let us do our job and debate definition of 'hopping'
Pasir Gudang MP Hassan Abdul Karim today urged Putrajaya to table the "anti-hopping" bill as planned on Monday to allow the Dewan Rakyat to define what constitutes "hopping".
In a statement today, he said the cabinet's decision to drop the bill on grounds that there are disputes over the definition of "hopping", was unacceptable.
"If the government is truly committed, then...
Pasir Gudang MP Hassan Abdul Karim today urged Putrajaya to table the "anti-hopping" bill as planned on Monday to allow the Dewan Rakyat to define what constitutes "hopping".
In a statement today, he said the cabinet's decision to drop the bill on grounds that there are disputes over the definition of "hopping", was unacceptable.
"If the government is truly committed, then the bill must be tabled based on the definition agreed to by the committee on the memorandum of understanding between the government and Pakatan Harapan.
"Please table the bill with all definitions available. The bill can be amended after the debates at the policy and committee stage.
"If the bill is not passed by Parliament and elections were to be held soon, then the country would have missed the opportunity to create a crucial instrument to stop defections (among MPs)," Hassan (above) said.
Hassan said no law will be perfect and laws were subjected to improvements over time through Parliament.
"What's important is to create the anti-hopping laws now. Problems with the definition of 'hopping' can come later," he added.
Was the motive revenge?
Putrajaya was initially supposed to table the "anti-hopping" bill on March 21 when the Dewan Rakyat was in session. The bill was pushed to an April 11 special sitting instead.
According to Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Parliament and Law) Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar, the cabinet has hit pause on the bill yesterday in order to conduct more studies on "party hopping".
However, constitutional amendments to enable future legislation directly addressing defection by MPs are still expected to be tabled on April 11.
Hassan speculated that there are some cabinet members who intentionally want to see any form of "anti-hopping" law fail out of spite.
"There are some in the government who wants to exact revenge after the government lost the vote on the motion regarding Security Offences (Special Measures) Act 2012," he added.
Hassan was referring to the Dewan Rakyat's shock decision to vote down a motion by Home Minister Hamzah Zainudin to extend detention without trial provisions for another five years.
The main reason why the motion was defeated was due to a high number of absenteeism among the government bench, including several whips.
The anti-hopping bill was key legislation promised by Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob in his confidence-and-supply agreement with Harapan.
Together with a bill to impose term limits on the prime minister, the bill was supposed to be passed during the first sitting of the Dewan Rakyat this year. That deadline has not been kept.
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