KUALA LUMPUR – The government is considering several major reforms to Parliament that could see changes to the way it functions, the Dewan Rakyat was told today.
Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof (Petra Jaya-GPS) said the first is the possible reintroduction of the Parliamentary Services Act (PSA) to ensure separation of powers between the country’s legislative and executive bodies.
“The government is currently reviewing the need to enact PSA so that parliamentary services can be separated from public services.
“Several policy matters relating to the enactment of the law will be finalised before they are presented to the cabinet,” he said during Prime Minister’s Question Time.
Fadillah was responding on behalf of Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, who was not present in the lower House this morning.
The PSA, which was first enacted in 1963, was repealed in 1992 when Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad was the prime minister.
Previously on February 14, Anwar had urged for the reinstatement of the act to be expedited to ensure Parliament was free from executive power.
He said Parliament’s transformation was vital to maintain democracy and freedom of expression in the country.
Additionally, Fadillah said the government is also reviewing the Houses of Parliament (Privileges and Powers) Act 1952 with an eye for a possible amendment to make it more in tune with current needs.
He said among the proposed changes are increasing the current fine from RM1,000, which has remained unchanged since the introduction of the act, and amending certain terms deemed to be obsolete.
The deputy prime minister said this in response to Datuk Seri Saifuddin Abdullah (Indera Mahkota-PN), who wanted to know the government’s plans for institutional reforms.
According to Fadillah, other than the aforementioned items, other reforms on the cards include improvements to the Whistleblower Act 2010 and the conduct of elections.
“The unity government is serious about the institutional reform agenda and will act accordingly to realise this. We will ensure that any reforms implemented will take into consideration the views of all stakeholders.” – The Vibes, February 28, 2023
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