On 8 April 2022, we reported that 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”’¹ and that the special sitting of Parliament on 11 and 12 April 2022 will proceed to consider the Constitution (Amendment) (No. 3) Bill 2022 that will facilitate the passing of the anti-hopping Bill later.²
 
Although the special sitting of the Dewan Rakyat (House of Representatives) proceeded as scheduled on 11 April 2022 and debated the Constitutional Amendment) (No. 3) Bill 2022, the voting on the Bill was deferred.³
 
It has been reported that the proposed amendments to the Federal Constitution will be referred to a special select committee comprising Wan Junaidi and 10 Members of Parliament for review and that the committee will be tasked with the responsibility to ‘prepare a draft of a Bill specifically to stop party hopping within a period of one month’. The Minister added that ‘the special select committee can extend the (one month) period if need be’.⁴
 
With these developments, it is now unclear when the long awaited and much needed Anti-Party Hopping Bill will be tabled before Parliament.
 
Our earlier update on the Anti-Party Hopping Bill can be read here.
 
Update by Kok Chee Kheong (Partner) of the Corporate Practice of Skrine. 

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