Five bills were approved during the first week of the Third Session of the 15th Parliament.
These include the Employment Insurance System (Amendment) Bill 2024, the Social Security Act (Amendment) Bill 2024, and the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Act 2023.
Also approved were the Malaysian Aviation Commission (MAVCOM) (Dissolution) Bill 2024 and the Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia (CAAM) (Amendment) Bill 2024, aimed at transferring MAVCOM’s functions to CAAM.
Meanwhile, the Audit (Amendment) Bill 2024 to amend the Audit Act 1957 (Act 62) was tabled for the first reading.
This week’s session also saw the House of Representatives approve a motion to refer Tasek Gelugor Member of Parliament Datuk Wan Saifulruddin Wan Jan to the House’s Rights and Freedoms Committee following allegations that charges against him in court could be dropped.
The motion was proposed by Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said to determine whether statements made by National Coalition (PN) MPs were misleading the House and damaging the interests of those involved in the case.
Also capturing attention this week was Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s clarification on the issue of the sale of shares in Malaysia Airport Holdings Bhd (MAHB) to Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP). According to him, the sale did not involve the disposal of airports as majority ownership remains with the government.
“This is different from the narrative outside. The narrative outside suggests a sale, but it’s not. Foreign companies have owned about 27 per cent and this is what was taken over by GIP and the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA).
“Do we have a sale involving airports? No. This only involves management and MAHB is only a company that manages airports. Airports remain owned by the Malaysian government,” said Anwar.
The first week also saw Azalina present the Annual Report and Financial Statements of the Malaysian Human Rights Commission (SUHAKAM) for 2021 and 2022, which was debated by 27 Members of Parliament. However, the debate and wrapping up of the motion will continue in the next session of the House of Representatives next week.
The Third Session of the 15th Parliament will run for 15 days until July 18.
