KUALA LUMPUR – The Dewan Rakyat today approved the formation of ten parliamentary special select committees (PSSCs) to play the role of checks and balances in Parliament.
Introducing the committees, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said (Pengerang-BN) said that the Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) had agreed on the special select committees after a series of meetings.
The Umno lawmaker, however, stopped short of naming the MPs in charge of each PSSC.
The areas covered by the PSSCs include finance and economics; health; domestic trade, entrepreneurship, cost of living and agriculture; and infrastructure, transportation and communication.
They are to also cover nation building, education and human resource development; women, children, and community development; environment, science, and farming; safety; international relations and trade; and basic human rights, general elections, and institutional reforms
Earlier this month, Azalina had said that the roles of PSSCs on various issues, including the political funding bill, would be expedited.
The statement was applauded by non-governmental organisations, including the Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs.
Prior to the dissolution of Parliament in October last year, the Seed Community for a Professional Parliament had called for reforms to parliamentary committees, noting that several ministerial portfolios lack scrutiny.
Matters they singled out then included those related to the environment, human resources, natural resources, and national unity. They also recommended the establishment of a separate PSSC on electoral matters to scrutinise the Election Commission.
Seed Community also said that another weakness of the PSSCs is that each shoulders the task of scrutinising several ministries, which prevents the committee from functioning optimally,
Last month, it was reported that Dewan Rakyat Speaker Datuk Johari Abdul would lead the PSC with six MPs, including Azalina.
Other lawmakers part of the PSC are Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof (Petra Jaya-GPS), Transport Minister Anthony Loke (Seremban-PH), and Economy Minister Rafizi Ramli (Pandan-PH).
Opposition leader Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin (Larut-PN) and Datuk Seri Takiyuddin Hassan (Kota Baru-PN) are also members of the committee. – The Vibes, March 21, 2023
