KUALA LUMPUR: The opposition has urged the government to postpone the second reading of the Government Procurement Bill 2025, which is scheduled for today.
Putrajaya Member of Parliament, Datuk Dr Radzi Jidin, said the bill should first be referred to the Special Select Committee on Finance and Economy.
“According to Standing Orders 54(1), in which a bill may be committed to a select committee before its second reading.
“Based on today’s order paper, the second reading of the Government Procurement Bill 2025 is set for today. However, as a member of the special select committee, I only saw the bill for the first time on Monday and it has never been brought up for discussion at the committee level.
“Therefore, I urge the government to postpone the second reading of this bill and refer it to the committee first, as there are too many elements in the bill that concern public interest,” he said.
Radzi added that discussions with relevant stakeholders should also be held before the bill is passed.
The bill aims to strengthen governance and transparency in government procurement and to curb leakages arising from the varied processes currently practised across different levels of government.
Meanwhile, Deputy Dewan Rakyat Speaker Datuk Ramli Mohd Noor said that according to the Standing Orders, government business must take precedence and Radzi’s proposal can only be considered by the government.
“I must remain neutral and cannot take sides, neither with the opposition bloc nor the government bloc. The decision lies with the Dewan Rakyat Speaker (Tan Sri Johari Abdul) and I only follow the Standing Orders,” he said before proceeding with today’s sitting.
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