Review commitment to MoU, PKR MP tells PH

Pasir Gudang MP Hassan Karim has urged Pakatan Harapan to review its commitment to its memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the government following the deferment of the anti-hopping bill.

(FMT) – Hassan said this was the “moment of truth” for PH’s presidential council since it had previously said the MoU would be cancelled if the bill was not tabled as promised.

DAP national chairman Lim Guan Eng and Amanah president Mohamad Sabu were among those who had made this stand, with Lim saying the MoU would be “finished” if the anti-hopping bill was not tabled.

Hassan said the Ismail Sabri Yaakob-led government seemed to be giving various excuses over the deferment, and accused it of not being serious and sincere in wanting to prevent party-hopping.

The PKR MP pointed out that this was the second time that the bill was deferred, as it was supposed to be tabled in the first Dewan Rakyat meeting of the year in March. It was then delayed to a special sitting on April 11.

“The government’s failure to table this bill in Parliament despite having sufficient time shows that the prime minister has failed to lead his Cabinet and to get them to agree with him.

“So PH needs to review its commitment to the MoU. The anti-hopping bill is a core part of the MoU,” he said.

Yesterday, sources told FMT the Cabinet had asked for revisions to the anti-hopping bill and that Putrajaya was ironing out several issues, including what constituted party-hopping.

Law minister Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar confirmed earlier that the bill expected to be tabled on April 11 had been deferred again.

Hassan said the government should just table the bill with the party-hopping definition the Putrajaya-PH MoU steering committee had agreed on, and tweak the bill at the policy and committee stage.

He said the definition can also be updated from time to time by amending the Act in Parliament.