THE much anticipated anti-party hopping bill could be gazetted and come into force by September 2 this year once it is passed by Parliament, Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar said.

The law minister said the reworked bill will be laid at the Dewan Rakyat sitting on July 18.

He said that once the bill has been passed by Parliament, it will be presented to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong for his assent.

He said there will be a briefing on the bill for backbenchers on July 25 and another on July 26 for opposition lawmakers.

Wan Junaidi said the bill is proposed to be debated on July 27 and 28 in the Dewan Rakyat, subject to the discretion of the speaker.

He said similar arrangements have been put in place for the Dewan Negara briefing for senators set on August 8.

“The first and second reading of the bill is expected to take place on August 9 and 10 and the gazettement of the law will be done between August 29 and September 2,” he said in a statement today.

He said that dates for the bill to be presented in Dewan Rakyat and Dewan Negara were agreed upon by the cabinet today.

“Questions that were raised by a handful of cabinet members on June 1 (on the anti-party hopping bill) were answered by the select committee this morning.

“The report by the parliamentary special select committee on the bill will be given to all MPs on July 18 for their reference.”

Dewan Rakyat sitting will take place from July 18 to August 4.

This anti-party hopping bill, which was to be passed on March 24, is one of the main components in the memorandum of understanding on Transformation and Political Stability inked by the government and Pakatan Harapan last September.

The bill is to prevent MPs from switching parties for personal gain, which contributes to political instability.

Since 2018, there have been 39 lawmakers who have switched sides, leading to two changes of federal government. – July 13, 2022.