THE Dewan Rakyat has passed three government bills without amendment during the sixth week of its current sitting, as landmark constitutional reform proposals move closer to debate.
The Capitation Grant Bill 2026, the Environmental Quality (Amendment) Bill 2026 and the Supplementary Supply (2025) Bill 2026 were approved with majority support from Members of Parliament.
The House also saw the first reading of the Constitution (Amendment) Bill 2026, which seeks to limit the Prime Minister’s tenure to 10 years, alongside the Constitution (Amendment) Bill (No. 2) 2026 aimed at separating the roles of the Attorney-General and the Public Prosecutor. The second reading of both measures is scheduled for next week.
Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform), Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said, said the tabling of the constitutional amendments marked a significant step in the government’s institutional reform programme.
In addition to legislative business, the House debated and approved a motion on the Auditor-General’s Report (LKAN) 1/2026 concerning the Financial Statements of Federal Agencies for 2024. The report disclosed 273 new issues relating to financial management and governance at federal and state levels.
Azalina stressed that parliamentary scrutiny of the report was substantive rather than procedural.
“The government assures that all remarks and findings in the LKAN will be investigated and corrective actions taken. Follow-up audit outcomes as of Dec 31, 2025, have successfully recovered RM316.68 million for the government.
“The tabling of the LKAN without sincere and open debate is insufficient because good governance can only be achieved when all parties debate, provide views and carry out oversight collectively. This debate is not a sign of weakness, but proof that the government has nothing to hide,” she said when tabling the motion.
Throughout the sitting, Members of Parliament raised a range of national and international issues, including the expansion of data centres, a United States Supreme Court decision on tariffs, tensions between Iran and the United States, concerns surrounding so-called “Street Dakwah” activities, student deaths on university campuses over the past five years, and reforms to entry permits.
Responding to questions on data centres, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said the government had, for nearly two years, restricted the entry of new data centres not linked to artificial intelligence in order to ease pressure on the national electricity grid and water supply.
While acknowledging increased consumption arising from such facilities, he maintained that projections indicated Malaysia retained sufficient capacity to meet demand.
The Dewan Rakyat also permitted two Parliamentary Special Select Committees to present statements through their respective chairmen.
These comprised the Parliamentary Special Select Committee on Women, Children and Community Development, which addressed the issue of child stunting, and the Health Select Committee on strengthening nutrition policy and intervention.
The current sitting of the Dewan Rakyat, which began on Jan 19, is scheduled to conclude on March 3. - February 27, 2026
