THE Dewan Negara today passed the Insolvency (Amendment) Bill 2023 and the Printing of Quranic Texts (Amendment) Bill 2023. 

Law and Institutional Reform Minister Ramkarpal Singh said the amendment to the insolvency law, among others, is to allow Malaysians to be discharged from indebtedness and bankruptcy.

“A total of 130,000 people are expected to be discharged from bankruptcy after the amendment of the act is passed,” he said in winding up the debate on the bill.

The bill was passed in the Dewan Rakyat on May 24.

It provides for bankrupt individuals aged 70 or above and mentally ill people to be eligible for discharge via certification from the insolvency director-general. 

Deputy Home Minister Shamsul Anuar Nasarah when winding up the Printing of Quranic Texts (Amendment) Bill 2023 debate said the ministry, the Islamic Development Department and the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission developed the Smart Quran app. 

He said the app is the only one that has been reviewed by the ministry and certified by the Al-Quran Printing Licensing and Control Board to allow people to refer to the holy text digitally.

“The app uses translations from Ar-Rahman’s interpretation, while the Qari reading is taken with the written permission of Mujamma Malik Fahd from Saudi Arabia,” he said.

He was replying to a question by Wan Martina Wan Yusoff about what the authorities are doing to regulate digital Quran apps.

The Dewan Negara sitting resumes tomorrow. – Bernama, June 19, 2023.