A TOTAL of 11 bills were passed in the first meeting of the fifth session of the 13th Parliament, which ended last Thursday. Among the major bills passed was the Sexual Offences against Children Act 2017.

The Sexual Offences against Children Act 2017 is aimed at protecting children 18 years and below from sexual crimes in line with the Child Act 2001.

Individuals found guilty of committing physical sexual acts on children could be jailed up to 20 years and are also liable to be whipped.

The act also clamps down on any person found making, being in possession and distributing child pornography where if convicted, could be jailed not more than 30 years and receive no fewer than six strokes of the rotan.

Any individual who withholds information on child sexual offences can be fined up to RM5,000.

The bill, however, came under intense debate when the majority voted down a suggestion by the opposition to include a ban on child marriages.

The first Dewan Rakyat meeting of the year will also be remembered for having the longest ever single day session of 20 hours of debate and the tabling of a private member’s bill.

On the last day of this session, Marang MP Abdul Hadi Awang (PAS) was allowed to table a private member’s bill or RUU355 on amending shariah law.

The motion, however, was short-lived as Speaker Pandikar Amin Mulia pre-empted any debates on the motion by adjourning the session sine die after Kota Baru MP Takiyuddin Hassan (PAS) seconded his president’s motion.

The motion was not debated on nor voted and will have to be re-tabled in future meetings.

Other bills passed during this meeting were the Weights and Measure (Amendment) Bill, Private Higher Educational Institutions (Amendment) Bill, Strategic Trade (Amendment) Bill, Judges’ Remuneration (Amendment) Bill, Labuan Business Activity Tax (Amendment) Bill, Penal Code (Amendment) Bill, Tourism Tax Bill, Bankruptcy (Amendment) Bill, Courts (Modes of Commencement of Civil Actions) Bill and the Self-Employment Social Security Bill.

However, the Law Reform (Marriage and Divorce) (Amendment) Bill 2016 saw no light as the government decided to withdraw the amendment on the eve of the last day of Dewan Rakyat.

The bill, which would prohibit unilateral religious child conversions, was tabled for first reading last November.

Deputy Prime Minister Zahid Hamidi was quoted as saying in the Star Online that the decision to postpone the debate of the bill was “to look into the proposed amendments together with religious experts”.

“This is to ensure the amendments will not be against Islamic fatwa or the Federal Constitution,” he said.

The Dewan Rakyat’s first meeting of the year also introduced the Land Public Transport (Amendment) Bill 2017 and the Commercial Vehicles Licensing Board (Amendment) Bill 2017 which affects e-hailing services.

Although not passed yet, both bills have completed the first reading. Among the amendments are reclassifying e-hailing vehicles as public services vehicles and obtaining a business licence from the Land Public Transport Commission (SPAD).

Drivers who failed to obtain the licences can be fined up to RM500,000 or face a maximum jail term of up to three years.

The next meeting of the Dewan Rakyat is scheduled to be on July 24-August 10. – April 10, 2017.