Takiyuddin: Parliament Service Bill is ready

 

The Parliament Service Bill, which will restore the autonomy of the Parliament, is now ready.

"The draft of the Parliament Service Bill has been prepared. The government is fine-tuning and reviewing the establishment of Parliament Service Commission," de facto Law Minister Takiyuddin Hassan said in a parliamentary reply.

The minister, however, did not provide a direct answer to Nga Kor Ming (Pakatan Harapan - Teluk Intan), who asked when the bill would be tabled for the first reading in the Dewan Rakyat, in line with the government's pledge to push for parliamentary reform.

The bill will allow Parliament to be removed from the authority of the Prime Minister's Department and, to a large extent, lead to a separation of powers as Parliament becomes an independent entity.

The Parliament Services Act 1963 (PSA), which among other things allows Parliament to have its own budget and hire staff, was repealed in 1992.

In 2005, lawmakers from both sides of the divide called for this law to be reinstated, despite their differences in political ideologies.

Putrajaya mulled to revive the Parliament Services Act as early as 2015. After Pakatan Harapan won the 2018 general election, it promised to revive this law.

In January this year, Nga, who was then the Dewan Rakyat deputy speaker, said the government would table the Parliament Services Bill in March.

However, the Harapan government was ousted, under the Sheraton Move, with Bersatu president Muhyiddin Yassin assuming office as the prime minister in February. - Mkini