PRIME Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob’s credibility and that of the government will be at stake if the April 11 special parliamentary sitting to table the anti-party hopping bill does not take place, DAP secretary-general Anthony Loke said.

The Seremban MP said Ismail has to keep his word and ensure the special meeting takes place as scheduled.

“That is a promise made by the prime minister in Parliament that on April 11 a special meeting will take place.

“So, the credibility of the government is at stake. If they do not proceed with the sitting on April 11, then it is a slap on the credibility of the government and also the prime minister,” Loke told The Malaysian Insight.

Loke was reiterating the promise he said Ismail had made yesterday when the prime minister met with Pakatan Harapan (PH) leaders on the proposed bill.

The PH presidential council yesterday issued a statement on their meeting with the PM, saying Ismail had given assurance that there would be no changes to the notice for the special Dewan Rakyat sitting on April 11.

The PH leaders also affirmed their support for the bill, which would comprise constitutional amendments to extend the restriction to freedom of association to include political parties, to insert a new article to set the conditions on when a lawmaker’s seat is deemed vacated, and to extend these provisions to state legislative assemblies.

Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Parliament and Law) Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar previously announced that the Dewan Rakyat would be recalled for a special meeting on April 11 so the anti-party hopping bill could be tabled.

Last week, however, he said this was not yet a certainty as the cabinet had to decide at its weekly meeting tomorrow if the government is ready to release the draft bill.

The bill, which would make hopping from one party to another illegal, and automatically trigger a fresh election, was to have been tabled during last month’s parliamentary sitting.

Stopping party-hopping is generally agreed to by most political parties, especially after the “Sheraton move” in February 2020 that toppled the PH government from federal power after being elected. Party-hopping has also affected Umno, which lost 15 MPs to Bersatu.

The contentious part about the bill, however, is the issue of recall elections. There are views that a by-election should not be automatically held when an elected lawmaker changes parties, but that voters of that constituency should decide whether one is needed. This is because a lawmaker may have not jumped parties out of self-interest, but may have been expelled unfairly or on grounds of conscience.

Nevertheless, Loke said PH MPs will support the bill and promised that DAP lawmakers will turn up in full force when the bill is tabled.

“We cannot get a perfect scenario covering everything, every detail but the key condition is on individual MPs. If elected on a party ticket, they cannot leave the party.

“If you leave the party and hop to another party, the seat must be vacated.

“As long as that is in place, we have no problem supporting the amendments,” the former transport minister said.

The bill is also a key clause in the memorandum of understanding for political stability between the government and PH. – April 6, 2022.