Perak defers approval for proposed water resources bill

 

The approval of the Perak Water Resources Enactment Bill 2022, which was tabled at the State Assembly sitting yesterday, has been deferred for now for improvement purposes.

Menteri Besar Saarani Mohamad (above), who proposed the motion to defer the approval, said that a bipartisan committee comprising opposition and government elected representatives would be set up to refine the bill for improvement before retabling it at the state assembly.

“This is the government's proposal ... an agenda that has been discussed with the state executive councillors is made unanimously after examining the debates presented by several assemblymen, from both the government and the opposition.

“I wish to thank the Perak legal adviser and the team who worked hard to prepare the draft.

“All the debates presented by the elected representatives during yesterday's tabling were taken into account, and the Perak legal adviser also agreed to defer approval of this bill,” he said when winding up the debate on the second day of the state assembly sitting at Bangunan Perak Darul Ridzuan today.

Saarani said that the bipartisan committee was important, so that when the bill was retabled at the state assembly, it could reflect the real wishes of the people's representatives, as well as benefit the state and the people of Perak.

The proposal was supported, and there was no objection from any of the 59 assemblypersons to defer the approval of the bill, which, among other things, would establish a special body to regulate the use of the state’s water resources.

Zambry Abdul Kadir (BN-Pangkor) interrupted and urged assemblypersons, from both the government and the opposition, to support the deferment of the bill’s approval so that matters involving the people could be discussed and refined collectively.

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Meanwhile, Asmuni Awi (Amanah-Manjoi) said that the deferment, proposed by Saarani (BN-Kota Tampan), was a wise and courageous move by the state government.

“We, the opposition, will cooperate ... there may be some things that need to be refined and improved,” he said.

Yesterday, Saarani, while tabling the bill, said that when approved, licensing and enforcement aspects involving water resources could be monitored as well as enabling integrated management on the use, development and protection of the state’s water resources through the establishment of the Perak Water Resources Management Authority.

- Bernama