KUALA LUMPUR:Parliament reconvenes today for the First Meeting of the Fifth Session of the 15th Parliament, with the Royal Address by His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim, King of Malaysia, expected to outline government priorities.
His Majesty is also scheduled to conduct a Royal Guard of Honour inspection at Parliament Square before delivering the address.
The ceremony will be attended by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and his two deputy prime ministers, Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof. Other cabinet ministers, senior judges, senior civil servants and foreign diplomats will also attend the event.
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The 20-day session starts today.
The Dewan Rakyat sitting will proceed with the Motion of Thanks on the Royal Address, followed by seven days of debate from tomorrow, and ministerial winding-up from Feb 4 to 10.
From Feb 11 to March 3, the government is expected to table three key bills during the session. The first bill seeks to separate the roles of the attorney-general and public prosecutor, reinforcing the independence of prosecutorial decisions.
The second bill proposes a two-term limit for the prime minister, aimed at strengthening democratic governance and preventing prolonged leadership.
The proposal also includes an Ombudsman Bill and a freedom of information (FoI) law, which are intended to strengthen public accountability and transparency.
The Ombudsman Bill would allow the establishment of an independent watchdog to investigate complaints against agencies and officials, while the FoI law would enable the public to request government documents such as tenders and contracts to prevent abuse of power.
Seputeh MP Teresa Kok said this parliamentary session
would be lively, with a focus on realising “our election manifesto promises”.
“It is important that after we are in power for almost three years we get it done,” she told the New Straits Times.
Other points to watch: all eyes are on Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin as the opposition leader’s post may become vacant or contested following Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin’s decision to resign as Perikatan Nasional chief, and a new backbenchers’ chairman is yet to be appointed.
The death of Sabah Barisan Nasional chairman Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin has left the Kinabatangan seat vacant.
Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform) M. Kulasegaran told NST that Bung Moktar, who died last month, was an “outspoken lawmaker”.
“Whether it was government polices or otherwise, he was outspoken,” he said. “As a friend, Bung Moktar was a hell of a
gentleman.”
© New Straits Times Press (M) Bhd
