KOTA KINABALU: The government should explain why the tabling of the proposed anti-party-hopping law has been postponed in the current Parliament meeting, says Upko president Datuk Seri Wilfred Madius Tangau.

       "The unilateral decision to postpone the tabling now raises various questions and concerns about the Bill's fate. Why was this postponement decision made suddenly without any good reason?" he said in a statement on Wednesday (March 23).

       "Is it true that the entire Cabinet does not agree with the contents of this Bill? Did the Cabinet not agree from the beginning or only recently turned around on tabling the proposed Bill?" added Madius.

       He also asked that the government should explain which clauses of the Bill were keeping it from being tabled.

       The Upko president said that postponing the tabling of the Bill would undermine the memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed between the government and Pakatan Harapan.

       He then added that Minister Prime Minister's Department (Parliament and Law) Datuk Seri Dr Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar and the Prime Minister should address the postponement and provide reasons.

       "I am worried that the people's trust in the government and also in Pakatan (as a signatory to the MOU) will be affected," he said, adding that Pakatan also had a responsibility to the people on this issue.

       Madius said the Bill should be tabled first and amendments could be made if necessary.

       "We are worried that this will not help (introduce a law) to eliminate the culture of party-hopping before the 15th General Election," he added.