THE anticipated anti-party hopping bill needs to be deliberated further before it can be tabled in Parliament, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Parliament and Law) Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar said today.

The bill, which also seeks to limit the tenure of the prime minister, was supposed to be tabled during the current session of Parliament.

“The cabinet has decided that the bill needs further deliberation with stakeholders, especially Barisan Nasional and Perikatan Nasional to gain their support,” Wan Junaidi said in a statement today.

“Under article 159 of the Federal Constitution, a two-thirds majority is needed to amend the constitution.”

Wan Junaidi said a letter and a survey was sent to all party leaders on March 15 for further input on the bill.

“This is a continuation of the previous nine engagement sessions I have had with the Legal Affairs Division, the Prime Minister’s Department and the Attorney-General’s Chambers.

“These sessions included members of the Dewan Rakyat and Dewan Negara, along with component parties, including those in Sabah and Sarawak,” he said.

An engagement session was supposed to have been held February 26-28 but was put off so BN and PN could focus on the Johor elections, Wan Junaidi said.

Once all engagement sessions are concluded and the cabinet’s approval is obtained, the bill will be tabled during a special Parliament session, in accordance with regulation 11(3) of the Standing Orders, he added.

The introduction of the anti-party hopping bill and limiting the tenure of the prime minister is part of the memorandum of understanding (MOU) for political stability and transformation signed between Pakatan Harapan and the federal government.

The MOU was signed on September 14 and focuses on six areas of reform. – March 18, 2022.