Anwar-led caucus wants to be gatekeeper for new laws

The parliamentary caucus on reform and governance has proposed that it become a gatekeeper for all government bills.

Caucus chairperson Anwar Ibrahim said this was among six recommendations made by the group after a meeting yesterday.

"(We propose) that all bills to be tabled in Parliament by the government must be screened by a special parliamentary select committee or this caucus," Anwar said in a statement today.

The caucus, which is represented by both government and opposition MPs, also proposed that it be made into a select committee to function more effectively.

The other recommendations made by the caucus are for the Human Rights Commission's (Suhakam) annual report to be debated in the Dewan Rakyat; for the chief justice to chair an independent panel on judicial reforms; and to support Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad's push to implement the National Anti-Corruption Plan (NACP).

The caucus also proposed that its next meeting should review the effectiveness of Putrajaya's effort to uplift the poor in both rural and urban areas.

Aside from Anwar, the other caucus members from Pakatan Harapan are deputy de facto Deputy Law Minister and Sepang MP Hanipa Maidin, Jeli MP Mustapa Mohamed, Segamat MP Edmund Santhara Kumar, Petaling Jaya MP Maria Chin Abdullah, and Kalabakan MP Ma'mun Sulaiman.

Opposition representatives are Pengerang MP Azalina Othman Said, Padang Rengas MP Nazri Abdul Aziz, Santubong MP Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar, and Kubang Kerian MP Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man. -Mkini