The Malaysian Insight

THE Dewan Rakyat must extend the tenure of nine Parliamentary Special Select Committees (PSSCs) until the end of 14th parliamentary session, civil society groups said today.

In a statement, they said the PSSCs’ term should be extended beyond November 10 via a motion.

“We stress that the extension should take place in the first week of the parliamentary meeting to allow the PSSCs to plan their work ahead beyond November 10, 2022,” they said in a statement.

“While their mandate would stop automatically when an election is called, their work should not be obstructed by the election guessing game.

“We further point out, every ministry should be scrutinised by at least one parliamentary committee and such committees should be permanent (called “standing”) instead of temporary (called “special”) as the current ones are,” they said in the statement.

The group comprised Bersih 2.0, Engage Network, Wisdom Foundation4, Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs (IDEAS), Bait Al-Amanah, Undi18 and Institute for Political Reform and Democracy (REFORM).

The nine PSSCs whose mandate is coming to an end are: Fundamental Liberty and Constitutional Rights; Finance and Economy; Security; Agencies under the Prime Minister’s Department; Agriculture and Domestic Trade; Infrastructural Development; Education; Women and Children Affairs and Social Development; and Health, Science and Innovation.

The group is calling on the 10 MPs on the steering committee of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Transformation and Political Stability to ensure that a motion is passed.

It also pointed out that nine ministerial portfolios have not been scrutinised by the PSSCs.

They are environment, human resources, natural resources, national unity, sustainable development goals and electoral matters, among others.

The group also called on the MOU steering committee to fulfil three promises: the constitutional amendment to establish a 10-year limit on prime minister’s tenure, the passing of the Parliamentary Service Act and amendment to the parliamentary standing orders.

The MOU on transformation and political stability was signed between Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob and opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim, Amanah chairman Mohamad Sabu, DAP national chairman Lim Guan Eng and Upko president Wilfred Madius Tangau on September 13 last year.

The MOU has six thrusts: strengthening the country’s Covid-19 plan, institutional transformation, parliamentary reforms, judiciary independence, the Malaysia Agreement 1963 and the formation of the agreement’s steering committee.

Under the agreed deal, the government promised to deliver three major reforms by the middle of 2022, before the next or fifth session of Parliament.

They are the anti-party hopping law, the implementation of Undi18 and automatic voter registration, and the imposition of a 10-year term limit on the prime minister’s tenure.

Various parliamentary reforms are also in the agreement, such as the parliamentary services bills, which seek to restore parliament’s autonomy in its finances and administration.

Other parliamentary reforms include ensuring a balanced representation of government and opposition lawmakers in select committees, and ensuring an equal number of select committees are chaired by government and opposition MPs respectively. – September 20, 2022.