PN retables Harapan's NSC amendment bill, with new clause to remove 'DPM'

PARLIAMENT | The Perikatan Nasional government today retabled a bill to amend the National Security Council Act which was first tabled by Pakatan Harapan last year.

The new bill retained all the amendments pushed for by Harapan, including shifting the power to declare emergency zones from the prime minister to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong upon receiving the advice of the council.

However, there are additional clauses to remove the "deputy prime minister" as a member of the NSC and for the deputy chair position to be filled by a person of the prime minister's choosing among the council members.

According to the existing act, besides the prime minister and his deputy, the other council members are the defence, home, communications and multimedia ministers, as well as the chief secretary to the government, armed forces chief, and the inspector-general of police.

There is no deputy prime minister in the PN government. Instead, there are four senior ministers, one of whom is Defence Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob.

Previously, Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin said that International Trade and Industry Ministry Azmin Ali, another senior minister, will chair cabinet meetings in his absence.

Commenting on the new bill, former de facto law minister Liew Vui Keong said the new clause was to "fill the lacuna" left when Muhyiddin did not appoint a deputy prime minister.

Liew, however, expressed concerns that any of the NSC members could be appointed as the new deputy chairperson.

"The NSC is a very powerful council. We shouldn’t just simply allow any one of the members of the council to be appointed as deputy chair who could make powerful operational decisions.

"Previously the deputy prime minister was a well-respected position, the person was entrusted the authority by the cabinet to take over when the prime minister is incapacitated or unavailable.

"Now we’re simply allowing anyone from the council - (the person) could even be government servants who are not accountable to Parliament - to helm the NSC (in the prime minister's absence)," he told Malaysiakini.

He added that for check and balance purposes, the Act should specify who would be deputy NSC chairperson before Parliament approves the bill. - Mkini