Senate passes changes to laws on insolvency, Quran printing

KUALA LUMPUR – The Dewan Negara today passed the Insolvency (Amendment) Bill 2023 and the Printing of Quranic Texts (Amendment) Bill 2023.

Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Ramkarpal Singh said the amendment on the Insolvency Bill 2023 among others is to enable Malaysians to be discharged from indebtedness and bankruptcy. 

“A total of 130,000 are expected to be discharged from bankruptcy after the amendment of the act is passed,” he said when winding up the debate on the bill which saw six senators taking part before it was passed.

The bill was passed in the Dewan Rakyat on May 24.

The bill also provides for bankrupt individuals aged 70 and over and those with intellectual disability to be eligible for discharge through the issuance of a certificate from the Insolvency director-general, besides improving the provisions of automatic discharge.

Meanwhile, Deputy Home Minister Datuk Seri Shamsul Anuar Nasarah when winding up the Printing of Quranic Texts (Amendment) Bill 2023 said the ministry in collaboration with the Islamic Development Department and the Communications and Multimedia Commission has developed a “Smart Quran” app.

He said it is the only app that has been reviewed by the ministry and certified by the Al-Quran Printing Licensing and Control Board as an alternative to allow the people to refer to the holy texts digitally.

“The app also uses the translation from the interpretation of Ar-Rahman while the Qari reading is taken with the written permission of Mujamma Malik Fahd of Saudi Arabia. That’s why we provide an alternative for the people,” he said.

He was replying to a question by Senator Wan Martina Wan Yusoff who asked about the actions of the authorities to check digital Quran apps.

The Dewan Negara will sit again tomorrow. – Bernama, June 19, 2023