THE new government will reintroduce the Parliamentary Services Act to give more independence to Parliament, Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar said. 

Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Parliament and Law) said along with that, the government will also replace the Houses of Parliament Privilege and Powers Act 1952 and revise the existing Standing Orders for Parliament. 

“The move (to reintroduce the Parliament Services Act) is consistent with what has been taken by other Parliaments internationally. This is based on Article 62 (Parliamentary procedure) and Article 63 (Privileges of Parliament) under the federal constitution,” said the Santubong MP in a statement today. 

He added that both Dewan Rakyat Speaker Azhar Azizan Harun and Dewan Negara president Dr Rais Yatim have been told about this during their meeting yesterday.  

The Parliamentary Services Act 1963 was a law that allows Parliament to conduct its own administration, staffing and financing. 

The act was repealed in 1992 after then Dewan Rakyat speaker Zahir Ismail unilaterally had it removed from the books. 

However, a majority of MPs called for the act to be revived in October 2005, when the issue of separation of powers was ignited in the Dewan Rakyat by opposition leader Lim Kit Siang.

As for the Parliament Privilege and Powers Act 1952, Wan Junaidi said it was due to be replaced as it was outdated.  

“Instead of amending it, it is better to come up with a new act of Parliament that is more comprehensive, inclusive and complete.  

“This is to also follow what is currently being made by most commonwealth countries such as Australia, Canada, New Zealand and India,” said the former Dewan Rakyat deputy speaker. 

On the Standing Orders, Wan Junaidi said the government said it will be amended in line with the reintroduction of the Parliamentary Services Act. 

“While there have been amendments made from time to time, many of these rules are a relic of the Federal Agreement 1948, which was only amended in 1956 for the independence of Malaya in 1957.  

“It was further amended in 1959 to create a basis for the Standing Order and Rules of Dewan Negara and Dewan Rakyat. However, many of these rules are not able to accommodate many modern things in Parliament.  

“Many Commonwealth countries have been making the necessary amendments to their rules and procedure in parliament to suit current time and in our quest for parliamentary reforms, it is crucial for us to make more changes and improvements to the set of rules that may no longer be suitable in today’s environment. 

“The amendments made should also focus on efforts to empower the parliamentary committee,” said Wan Junaidi. 

He added that there will be a joint committee between Parliament and the government to ensure that the various proposals discussed can be executed swiftly. – September 3, 2021.