[UPDATED] Dewan Rakyat extended for another day to allow Act 342 negotiations

KUALA LUMPUR – The current Dewan Rakyat sitting has been extended for another day to allow for the contentious amendments to the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases Act 1988 (Act 342) to be deliberated between the government and opposition. 

Dewan Rakyat Speaker Tan Sri Azhar Azizan Harun said the House will now meet one more time on Monday, when the amendment bill will be tabled for the second and third readings before being put up for vote. 

The decision was made by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob, as the leader of the House, in line with Standing Order 11(2) of the Dewan Rakyat. 

The bill was initially scheduled to be tabled today, but has faced tough opposition from various quarters protesting stiff penalties for those who violate government standard operating procedures (SOPs).

In the proposed amendments, individuals flouting SOPs will be subject to a maximum compound of RM10,000, while companies face an up to RM500,000 compound.

Presently, both individuals and corporate entities are subjected to a maximum compound of RM1,000.

For other offences with penalties not expressly provided under the act and where the case is brought to court, the amendment proposed a maximum fine of RM50,000 and three years’ prison for individuals, and RM2 million for corporates.

This is a watered down version of the original bill that proposed a staggering RM1 million compound for companies committing an offence, while the maximum penalty for individuals’ general offences was initially RM100,000 and seven years’ imprisonment.

On both occasions when the bill was published in Parliament’s website, Pakatan Harapan (PH) had protested the amendments, saying it would not support the legislation in its current state. 

Its chief secretary Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail yesterday said despite the revision, PH MPs opine that the bill still leaves the door open for abuse of power, corruption, and double standards.

Opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and other MPs had been holding discussions with government leaders earlier today in a bid to further review the proposed amendments to Act 342.

Matter to be referred to select committee first

Speaking in Parliament, Anwar said the discussions had involved Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin and Health Director-General Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah on the need to extend the Parliament sitting to allow for further deliberation.

He said this was then referred to Ismail Sabri, before the announcement on the extension was made.

“We sought for an extension so that the parliamentary select committee can convene on Monday morning at 8am, before the Dewan Rakyat sits at 10am. This is for us to propose some suggestions on the amendments.

“Our (opposition) view is that some of the provisions must be further amended in total, particularly ones involving compounds that will affect the rakyat.

“As such, following the discussions, we agreed to refer the matter to the select committee. If all our views are accepted, then we might consider supporting the bill. Otherwise, we may oppose and reject it.”

Earlier, following Azhar’s announcement to extend the sitting, several PH MPs had voiced their disagreement on the decision, saying many lawmakers already had plans scheduled for the next few days.

Datuk Seri Mahfuz Omar (Pokok Sena-PH) said MPs typically arrange their programmes beforehand, and that the eleventh hour announcement to extend Parliament to next Monday would derail their plans.

“What’s the problem with deferring the bill (to the next sitting)?” he asked.

R.S.N. Rayer similarly said it should be postponed altogether, particularly if the current bill is unorganised and needs to be reviewed.

Azhar, however, said the decision made by the prime minister is final, and that this is done according to the Standing Order.

Meanwhile on Twitter, Khairy said discussions earlier today involved government whips and opposition members, both of which agreed that there should be improvements made to the bill before the second and third readings are tabled. 

“There needs to be a balance between public interest (compounds that might be too high) and government powers to curtail the spread of Covid-19 or any future pandemic.

“With that, we will relook at the proposed amendments to Act 342, and will table the second and third readings on Monday,” he said. – The Vibes, December 16, 2021