Tabling of Anti-Party Hopping Bill Deferred

On 1 April 2022, we reported in ‘The Road (Slightly) Ahead: Four Bills To Look Forward To’ that the much anticipated anti-party hopping law that seeks to discourage Members of Parliament from defecting from a political party after being elected would be tabled at a special sitting of the Dewan Rakyat to be held on 11 April 2022.1 
 
On 6 April 2022, the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Parliament and Law), Datuk Seri Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar announced that ‘The Cabinet has not agreed to the tabling of the proposed anti-hopping Bill at the special Dewan Rakyat sitting on Monday (April 11).’ The Minister added that ‘The Bill will be sent back for more study to be done on the definition of party-hopping”’.2  
 
Earlier today, it was reported that Wan Junaidi had announced that ‘There will be a new date for another special parliamentary sitting to table, debate and approve the proposed anti-party hopping Bill’ and that ‘Both sides have agreed to a new date to be announced by the Prime Minister.’3
 
Nevertheless, the special sitting of Parliament on 11 and 12 April 2022 will proceed to consider the Constitution (Amendment) Bill 2022 that will facilitate the passing of the anti-hopping Bill later.4
 
Update by Kok Chee Kheong (Partner) of the Corporate Practice of Skrine.
 

1 Wan Junaidi: Special sitting on April 11 to table anti-party hopping bill, The Star Online, 24 March 2022.
2 Tabling of anti-hopping Bill deferred again, says Wan Junaidi, The Star Online, 6 April 2022.
3 New date for anti-hopping Bill, The Star Online, 6 April 2022.
4 Tabling of anti-hopping Bill deferred again, says Wan Junaidi, The Star Online, 6 April 2022.

This alert contains general information only. It does not constitute legal advice nor an expression of legal opinion and should not be relied upon as such. For further information, kindly contact skrine@skrine.com.