The Dewan Rakyat will reconvene for its second meeting of the year on Monday, which will also be a critical window for Pakatan Harapan to push through its legislative agenda.
While the sitting will only be 12 days long, it is nevertheless crucial, as it can be fully dedicated to the legislative changes which Harapan has deemed necessary to implement reforms.
Even though the first meeting this year which concluded in April spanned 20 days, it was occupied by debates on the Yang di-Pertuan Agong's speech.
The third meeting, despite being 36 days long, will be occupied by budget debates.
Sources familiar with the Harapan pre-council meeting tomorrow to discuss the legislative plan told Malaysiakini that at least six items are on the agenda.
These include a motion calling on all MPs – including those from the opposition – to declare their assets, a constitutional amendment to reduce the voting age from 21 to 18, changes to the Peaceful Assembly Act 2012, the introduction of the Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission (IPCMC), and the setting up of the National Anti-Financial Crime Centre (NAFCC).
Malaysiakini takes a look at the details of the legislative agenda.
1. Asset declaration extended to opposition MPs
The first item on the agenda is likely a motion to call on all MPs to declare their assets.
While the motion refers to all lawmakers, it is really aimed at the opposition, as government MPs have already declared their assets, which is published on the MACC website.
The declaration by the government MPs was not compelled by a motion or law, but instead government policy.
However, the motion in the upcoming parliament meeting seeks to apply the same standards to opposition lawmakers.
This motion, which has already appeared on the Order Paper for Monday, calls for all MPs to declare their assets as well as that of their spouses, children and trustees in line with "accountability and transparency."
The MPs will be asked to furnish the information within three months from the approval of the motion, with a copy to be sent to the MACC to be published on its website.
The motion, which will require a simple majority, will almost certainly pass.
It will be interesting to see if the MPs will be willing to comply, since they are not compelled to do so by law, but can have their privileges as lawmakers curtailed by the Dewan Rakyat.
2. Reducing the voting age from 21 to 18
This change, which is a Harapan manifesto promise, will require a constitutional amendment, which will require a two-thirds majority in the Dewan Rakyat.
Election Commission chairperson Azhar Azizan Harun previously said that the amendment will be tabled on July 4.
Youth and Sports Minister Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman is expected to table the motion.
As Harapan does not control two-thirds of the Dewan Rakyat, it will require the support of either BN, PAS or Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) to get the amendment through.
Malaysiakini has elaborated on the arithmetic of the landmark vote here.
3. Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission
The IPCMC is unpopular in the police force and proposed legislation for it was ultimately watered down into the Enforcement Agency Integrity Commission (EAIC), which lacks enforcement powers over alleged police wrongdoings.
The commission was a key proposal of the Royal Commission to Enhance the Operation and Management of the Royal Malaysian Police in 2005.
The Harapan government will be having another go at implementing the commission where BN failed. The IPCMC is also a Harapan manifesto promise.
Unlike in the past, the police force is now led by Abdul Hamid Bador (photo) who is receptive to the IPCMC, despite reservations among his officers.
The government has also accepted the inspector-general of police's argument that the commission should come with better perks for cops.
However, the details of the legislation will be crucial to determine whether the IPCMC will live up to expectations, or whether it will be another variation of a watered-down version.
4. Peaceful Assembly Act amendments
Harapan, in its manifesto, had promised to "abolish draconian provisions" in the Peaceful Assembly Act 2012.
While details of the amendment are not yet public, a common complaint has been the provision requiring a 10-day notice before a gathering can be held.
Malaysiakini has learned that Home Minister Muhyiddin Yassin will be briefing Harapan backbenchers on the amendments.
5. Sabah delineation report
The previous BN government had pushed through the redelineation exercise for Peninsular Malaysia and Sarawak, perceived to favour the coalition, but held back on Sabah even though the report was ready.
This is because the redrawn federal boundaries, which will facilitate the addition of seats at the state level, favours the east coast of Sabah,
The east coast is a stronghold of Mohd Shafie Apdal, who Umno had acted against for rebelling against then Umno president Najib Abdul Razak in 2016.
With Shafie (photo) out of Umno, the party feared it would lose its grip in the area, and therefore did not want to boost its electoral weight in the last general election.
As predicted, Shafie's Warisan took large swathes of the Sabah east coast and captured the state even without the redelineation in the 2018 general election.
Now, Harapan, an ally of Warisan, is inheriting the Sabah redelineation report which had been placed on the backburner.
Malaysiakini has learned that the tentative plan now is table the report for approval on July 17, which will require a simple majority.
6. National Anti-Financial Crime Centre
In January, Putrajaya announced the establishment of the NAFCC to coordinate enforcement agencies in combating money-laundering and other related financial crimes.
The NAFCC will comprise several agencies including the Customs Department, Immigration Department, Bank Negara, MACC, Companies Commission, Inland Revenue Board and the police.
At present, the NAFCC is placed under the National Governance, Integrity and Anti-Corruption Centre (GIACC).
GIACC director-general Abu Kassim Mohamed had said that specific legislation governing the NAFCC will be tabled in the Dewan Rakyat. - Mkini
If the opposition do not wish to comply in declaring their assets because most of them worried that the skeleton in their cuoboard will be expose then give zero cent to all their MP.
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