MAHATHIR & NAJIB DRAW BATTLE LINES IN PARLIAMENT: HISTORIC FIRST SITTING AS NEW GOVT FINALLY REPLACES UMNO AFTER 60 YEARS OF HEGEMONIC RULE

BATTLELINES are being drawn in Parliament today as the first meeting between the Pakatan Harapan government and the Opposition convenes after the May 9 polls.

The real clash, however, is set to take place on Wednesday, the first of many to come until Aug 16.

After the ceremonial duties have been undertaken today and tomorrow, the first full question-and-answer session will take place.

It is expected to last over an hour and ministers can expect a barrage of questions from the Opposition and the backbenchers alike.

“There are many more questions,” added Liew, who will be in charge of Parliament.

Among the 90 new faces making their debut in Parliament, none may be more nervous or excited than Batu MP P. Prabakaran.

The youngest MP said he was feeling the responsibility thrust upon him by his constituents, supporters and PKR, which had endorsed him.

“After attending the briefing in Parliament the other day, I started reading up on the Standing Orders and procedures,” he said, adding that he met his predecessor Tian Chua, Federal Territories Minister Khalid Samad and other MPs for guidance.

“I will be observing the speeches by senior MPs, their line of questioning, motions and the private Bills tabled,” said the law student, who has himself sent in 15 questions.

At 22, Prabakaran is a few years junior to the youngest minister – 25-year-old Youth and Sports Min­ister Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rah­man.

Adding to the trepidation of the new ministers and MPs, the first 30 minutes of the session, which will begin at 10am, will be telecast live on RTM.

This means that how they perform – whether they stumble or fly – will come under the scrutiny of the public wanting to see how those they have voted in will measure up.

Subsequently, the session – which is expected to be contentious, judging from past meetings – will be aired live on Facebook.

This is the first time in Malaysia’s history that the two sides are switched in the House’s seating arrangement.

On one side will be Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, making his first official appearance in Dewan Rakyat as Prime Minister after stepping down 15 years ago, facing off with Opposition leader and newly elected Umno president Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.

Ten years ago, when Parliament met for the first time after the 2008 general election in which Barisan Nasional lost its two-thirds majority, the then Speaker Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia had his hands full for the first 90 minutes.

He had to control name-calling, jeers, heckling and even shouting – all on the first day.

For first-time MP and new minister Yeo Bee Yin, she is hoping for productive debates from everyone across the political divide.

“I want to include as many MPs as possible in my ministry’s decision-making process,” said Yeo, a former Selangor assemblyman who now holds the Energy, Tech­nology, Science, Climate Change and Environment portfolio.

With the number of Pakatan representatives and their “friendly” comrades from Sabah and Sarawak making up almost two-thirds of the Dewan, the proclamation of former Court of Appeal judge Datuk Moha­mad Ariff Md Yusof as the new Speaker and the swearing-in of the 222 members of Parliament – starting with Dr Mahathir – are expected to go on without a hitch.

That will be followed by the King’s Royal Address the next day.

Liew said there would be an election to fill the two Deputy Speaker’s positions, one of whom is speculated to be Nga Kor Ming of DAP and the other from PKR.

“Pakatan has submitted two names while the Opposition submitted one. I guess there will be an election for it,” he added.

With Pakatan’s promise to reform Parliament – such as having nine agencies reporting directly to it, having the Parliamentary Services Act, setting up a select committee to monitor every ministry and having an Opposition MP head the Public Accounts Committee – a question on the media’s mind is whether they will be given full access to the MPs.

The previous Speaker had banned reporters from the lobby – literally, from the halls of power – and journalists have long called for this to be reversed.

DAP’s Ipoh Barat MP M. Kula­segaran has taken up their cause. – ANN

The 14th Parliament: What to expect with Pakatan in charge

KUALA LUMPUR, July 16 — Anticipation is high for a lively two-party debate in this 14th Parliament, where for the first time, Barisan Nasional lawmakers will occupy the Opposition bench in the Dewan Rakyat from today.

With the Pakatan Harapan coalition in power now, there will be intense scrutiny to see how their MPs deal with being in government and drafting and amending laws in line with the promises made during the May 9 general election.

Here’s a recap of the major electoral promises Malaysians will be following closely to see them come to pass.

Laws

Chief among the law many Malaysians are looking forward to see rescinded is the controversial 6 per cent goods and services tax (GST).

While the government effectively cancelled the tax by zero-rating it from June 1, it will have to table an amendment to remove it for good, and then table another Bill to bring back the sales and services tax (SST) by September 1, the rate which has yet to be fixed. Prominent industry players have requested the Council of Eminent Persons for the SST to be set below 3 per cent.

The new government has also said it will seek to amend a raft of other restrictive laws that aim to curb dissent and freedom of expression. These range from the Printing Presses and Publications Act 1984, the Sedition Act 1948, to the Prevention of Crime Act 1959, which fall under the Home Ministry.

Other laws that are under review are the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act 2012 (Sosma), the Peaceful Assembly Act 2012, and the Prevention of Terrorism Act 2015.

But considering that Home Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin is on a one-month medical leave to recuperate from surgery to remove a pancreatic tumour, any tabling of amendments to these laws will not likely happen in this first sitting, which is scheduled only until August 16.

It will then take a break and then reconvene for a longer sitting in mid-October until December.

The Order Paper which usually contains the list of Bills to be tabled by the government has also not been published yet.

When contacted, de facto law minister Datuk Liew Vui Keong who is also in charge of parliamentary affairs said he is still waiting for some ministries to finalise the Bills that are expected to be tabled.

Budget

Malay Mail understands from a Finance Ministry source that the government will be tabling a “mini budget” to accommodate the restructuring of several ministries.

“Ministry restructuring is when some ministries are combined, so they have to re-table the budget,” the source said.

The 11th Malaysia Plan is also expected to be up for a mid-term review this year and is expected to address the income inequalities, particularly for the bottom 40 per cent of wage earners; it is also expected to tackle the youth unemployment rate and the rising cost of living.

In the past, the reviews are customarily conducted in July, but Economic Affairs Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali has said that the Cabinet will defer it this time as PH formed the government only in May

The federal budget for 2019 is anticipated to be tabled in the second sitting in November.

– Malay Mail