Cabinet to study plan for new parliamentary panels, says Azalina

Dewan Rakyat Speaker Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia says yesterday Parliament has proposed the setting up of new select committees on law amendment and the budget, among others. – The Malaysian Insider file pic, March 10, 2016.The Cabinet needs more time to study the setting up of new select committees as proposed by the Dewan Rakyat Committee on Transformation, says Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said.

She said a detailed study was necessary as some of the proposed committees were sensitive.

“For example, it (Parliament) suggested a committee on security. Security is a very sensitive issue... like foreign affairs, also very sensitive. Certain committees may be okay but some are sensitive, so the Cabinet has to look into it,” she told reporters today at the Parliament lobby. 

Dewan Rakyat Speaker Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia said yesterday Parliament proposed to set up new select committees, among them the Law Amendment Committee, Budget Committee, Transportation Committee and Foreign Affairs Committee.

Parliament currently has five committees – Public Accounts, Rights and Privileges, Elections, Meeting and Dewan.

The suggestion on the new committees was among four core proposed amendments to the Standing Orders of the Dewan Rakyat scheduled to be tabled during the current sitting in line with the parliamentary transformation initiative.

The proposed amendments included a special ministers’ question time on Tuesdays and Thursdays to give MPs the opportunity to ask questions on current issues.

Azalina said the speaker would table the proposed amendments by way of a report before it was debated by MPs. 

Taking the ministers’ question time as an example, she said the initiative would lead to more ministers turning up in Parliament to answer questions rather than just send their deputies as representatives. – Bernama, March 10, 2016.