MPs with ongoing court cases may be barred from Parliament

 

Dewan Negara president Rais Yatim said the Dewan Rakyat and Dewan Negara are also looking at a special code of ethics for MPs.

KUALA LUMPUR: Amendments to the Houses of Parliament (Privileges and Powers) Act 1952 are being reviewed to allow the Houses to prohibit any Dewan Rakyat or Dewan Negara member facing ongoing court charges from attending Parliament proceedings.

Dewan Negara president Rais Yatim said the matter was discussed in a special meeting on Parliament Transformation today with law minister Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar that he chaired on behalf of the Dewan Negara and Dewan Rakyat.

“Both Houses are also looking into drafting a special code of ethics for MPs,” he said in a statement.

Also present at the meeting were Dewan Negara deputy president Mohamad Ali Mohamad and deputy law minister Mas Ermieyati Samsudin, chief administrator of Parliament Nor Yahati Awang as well as the Dewan Negara and Dewan Rakyat secretaries.

Following the meeting, a draft bill and a Cabinet memorandum on the transformation of Parliament were submitted to Wan Junaidi for tabling and approval by the government, he said.

He said Wan Junaidi fully supported the move to amend and empower the 1952 Act and reinstate the Parliamentary Services Act 1963 so that the concept of separation of powers between the legislature and the executive can be manifested as enshrined in Article 44 of the Federal Constitution.

He said with the move, Parliament will no longer be subjected to executive power, in addition to allowing several new select committees with legislative powers to be established in the near future.

Rais said all the transformations are in line with the recent memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the federal government and Pakatan Harapan, which focuses on the transformation of Parliament, among others.

A special briefing on the details of Parliament transformation will be carried out for all MPs and senators soon, he said. - FMT