KUCHING: The Anti-Party Hopping Bill passed by Parliament will pave the way for a stable federal government, said Women, Early Childhood and Community Wellbeing Development Minister Datuk Seri Fatimah Abdullah.
She said the Bill is very much needed by Malaysians to move out of the various crises facing the country.
“(With that), we can move forward to a glorious Malaysia which we still can be proud of,” she said in a statement today.
On another note, the Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) Women’s chief said that de-facto law minister Datuk Seri Dr Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar deserves a standing ovation for his outstanding job following the passing of the Bill.
“Wan Junaidi had worked very hard to get an overall resounding support for the Bill, ensuring that it is tabled during this Dewan Rakyat sitting.
“At the same time, the Bill received the support of more than a two-thirds majority,” she said.
The anti-party hopping law was mooted by both the government and opposition MPs after the infamous Sheraton Move back in early 2020 where several MPs ‘jumped’ ship from their respective political parties which resulted in the fall of the Pakatan Harapan (PH) government.
The Bill was part of the memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed between Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob and the PH coalition, and was drafted by both government and opposition MPs through the Parliamentary Special Select Committee (PSSC), Legal Affairs Division of the Prime Minister’s Department, Attorney-General’s Chambers and Parliament which had taken almost a year.
On July 27, the Bill was tabled for the second reading by the Prime Minister.
After two days of debate, the Dewan Rakyat on Thursday passed the constitutional amendments to the anti-party hopping law before the next general election is called.
