MP SPEAKS | Disagreement on anti-hopping bill nothing unusual

MP SPEAKS | As a member of the bipartisan joint committee for the anti-party-hopping law, I was dumbstruck and furious to learn the government decided to adjourn the tabling of the bill in Parliament.

I thought the bill would be tabled in the Dewan Rakyat this coming Monday, after which the committee would cease to function.

Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Parliament and Law) Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar, too, had expressed his dismay and disappointment. Truth be told, I have no reason to disbelieve him.

What was reported in the media seems to suggest the postponement is due to a failure in finding a consensus on the definition of party hopping.

If this is true, it is indeed a laughable excuse.

May I ask a basic question? Since when would one expect any definition of anything in any legal document to be duly agreeable by all stakeholders?

I vividly remember a funny story shared by former US president Barack Obama. It involved the legal drafting process of the US Congress.

The US senators, according to him, used to embark on the following legal dispute, saying "since the Act is using therein the word 'is', let us define what is the meaning of 'is'."

Come on guys, please wake up! Law practitioners and lawmakers share the same characteristics in that diversity is their asset.

Let me tell you the rudimentary tenet of any legal drafting. Unless the drafters are living in “Lalaland” or in a utopia, the drafting of any legal document would strictly be based on the assumption that getting a majority view in any discussion, for instance, on the definition of a certain legal term, is good enough.

Any lawmaker who aspires for consensus in any legal drafting exercise is akin to asking for a miracle or an impossibility.

Failing to reach an agreement on the definition of political defection is duly expected and anticipated. After all, in our discussions in the bipartisan committee, we encountered similar issues bordering on a stalemate.

But we also unanimously agreed that the failure to define party hopping should not be a hindrance in pushing the bill. We even agreed that switching to any political party within the same coalition can be considered a defection as well.

Anti-hopping legislation is badly and promptly needed in Malaysia. But perhaps some political dinosaurs have problems with such a long-awaited bill?

MOHAMED HANIPA MAIDIN is Sepang MP and an Amanah committee member.

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