Can Bills be drafted better before tabling in Parliament? Kula says improvements underway

 

Deputy Minister M. Kulasegaran said the government is prioritising better drafting of Bills through wider engagement to improve quality, transparency and inclusiveness before they are tabled in Parliament. — Bernama pic

KUALA LUMPUR, March 3 — The government is giving high priority to improving the drafting of Bills to ensure greater quality, transparency and inclusiveness before they are tabled in Parliament.

Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform) M. Kulasegaran said the Legal Affairs Division (BHEUU) consistently conducts phased engagement sessions involving ministries, implementing agencies, subject matter experts and civil society organisations.

He said the approach has been applied in drafting key legislation, including the Ombudsman Bill and the Freedom of Information Bill, as well as laws that have been passed such as the Parliamentary Services Act 2025 and the Anti-Bullying Act 2026.

“These engagement sessions aim to obtain grassroots views and input on proposed policies to ensure all voices are taken into account,” he said during the question-and-answer session in the Dewan Rakyat today.

Kulasegaran was responding to Datuk Seri Jalaluddin Alias (BN-Jelebu) on the steps taken to ensure laws are carefully drafted to a high standard, especially those that affect public rights and the economy.

On the proposal to conduct online public polls before amending laws, he said BHEUU has implemented the method to gather public feedback.

Among the laws that underwent public surveys were the abolition of the mandatory death penalty, amendments related to party-hopping provisions and constitutional amendments to limit the Prime Minister’s tenure. — Bernama