ALL EYES ON PARLIAMENT: WILL NAJIB BE KICKED OUT

As the August House reconvenes tomorrow, Malaysiakini has compiled a list of hot issues to watch out for.

1. Will a vote of no-confidence against the PM see the light of day?

Najib Abdul Razak could potentially face the toughest test of his six-year reign as the opposition has submitted a notice for the tabling of a motion of no-confidence against him.

The no-confidence motion, which is the 25th item out of a total of 28 proposed motions, is presently on the Parliament order paper for Monday.

However the opposition bloc, even with full support from PKR, DAP, Party Amanah and PAS, is still about 25 seats short of the majority needed to carry the motion.

Then again, given its position and the convention that government motions will always get priority, the motion may never see the light of day. In addition the speaker of the house could reject the motion, stopping it from being tabled.

However, it is still worth watching out if any MP from the ruling parties, Umno in particular, come outs to echo former premier Mahathir Mohamad's call for the motion to be supported.

2. 2016 annual budget, another storm

The annual budget is another storm Najib need to weather. By convention, if the federal budget is rejected in the house, it is seen as equal to a non-confidence vote against Najib's government.

Although BN, with 124 seats, is expected to pass the budget easily, a large number of MPs from the ruling parties in turning against the government, may deliberately absent themselves from the voting. This could put Najib (photo) at great risk.

3. Will Parliament Accounts Committee (PAC) continue to probe 1MDB?

With Rompin MP Hassan Arifin set to takes over as the head of PAC, all eyes will be on the five-month old parliamentarian to see if he presses on with the investigation on 1MDB, which is a brainchild of Najib.

PAC's probe on 1MDB was paralysed in July after four of its members, including its then chairperson Nur Jazlan, were promoted to the cabinet by Najib.

4. Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA)

After the negotiations were concluded in Atlanta, United States on Oct 5 with 12 countries including Malaysia, the government is expected to seek Parliament's green light before signing it.

Although the agreement is supposed to be tabled in Parliament before early January next year, it is not expected to make it this sitting due to time constraints.

Nevertheless, it will still be among the hot topics to look out for, not least because the Minister of International Trade and Industry Mustapa Mohamed, was seeking time in the first week of the sitting to field TPPA-related questions.

Critics worry that it bring more expensive healthcare to Malaysians, farmers might lose their rights to seed companies. Also a more restrictive copyright regime could result.

Proponents, on the other hand, point to Credit Suisse’s estimate that TPPA would give Malaysia’s GDP a five percent boost, as it opens access to new markets for Malaysian industries.

5. Revision of MCMC Act 1998 to stifle cyber dissidents?

The Communications and Multimedia Ministry is expected to table amendments to the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998(MCMC Act), aiming at tightening cyberspace.

According to the ministry, the focus of the revision will be on stricter control over social media users, bloggers and news portals.

It will also seek to increase penalties, including prison sentences, against the convicted.

Prior to this, the government had blocked access to whistle-blowing website Sarawak Report after its intensive reports on 1MDB and the RM2.6 billion scandal, accusing it of publishing “unverified content” that could “create unrest and threaten national stability, public order and economic stability".

6. PAS' hudud bill, again?

In the last two Parliament sittings, PAS, through its president Abdul Hadi Awang, submitted a private member's bill to amend Syariah Courts (Criminal Jurisdiction) Act 1965, a necessary move to implement hudud in Kelantan.

However, the bill was buried even before it had the chance to be tabled and debated.

According to PAS secretary-general Takiyuddin Hassan, Hadi Awang has yet to decide whether he would file a fresh private member’s bill on hudud in the coming Parliament sitting.

7. Sitting arrangement of ruling parties and the opposition

The sitting arrangement in Parliament has been affected by internal changes in both divides.

BN

Najib has removed former deputy prime minister cum education minister Muhyiddin Yassin and former rural and regional development minister Shafie Apdal in a cabinet reshuffle on July 28.

This means the Pagor MP and the Semporna MP will return to the backbenches today after over two decades in politics.

Interestingly, the duo have been placed in the second row, the same row with Umno Gua Musang MP Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah. They have joined hands to condemn the use of the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act (Sosma) against 1MDB critic Khairuddin Abu Hassan and his lawyer Matthias Chang.

Opposition bloc

After the collapse of Pakatan Rakyat, the Big Four, namely PAS president and Marang MP Abdul Hadi Awang, PKR president and Permatang Pauh MP Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, DAP secretary general and Bagan MP Lim Guan Eng, DAP parliamentary leader and Gelang Patah MP Lim Kit Siang, will no longer be sitting together.

Hadi will move to G Block and he will be replaced by Party Amanah vice-president and Parit Buntar MP Mujahid Yusof Rawa (photo).

PAS Temerloh MP Nasrudin Hassan and Pasir Mas MP Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Aziz will sit beside Hadi.

8. Change in minister in charge of parliamentary affairs

In the cabinet reshuffle in July, Pengerang MP Azalina Othman Said was appointed as Minister in the Prime Minister's Department in charge of parliamentary affairs, replacing Shahidan Kassim.

In comparison with Shahidan, Azalina is known for her fiery style. Previously, she abandoned Parliament's conventions by instructing the media to move to another building from the original Parliament lobby.

Although the decision was retracted after receiving strong objections from the media, the change in minister might change the way the August House operates. - M'kini