KUALA LUMPUR: There are plans for the Parliamentary Special Select Committees (PSSC) to assist Cabinet ministers in making decisions on issues affecting the daily lives of the rakyat.It is among some of the reforms newly-elected Speaker Datuk Johari Abdul (pic) wants to implement to boost the role of Parliament beyond the confines of the august hall.
“The special select committees could play a complementary role to the Cabinet by providing additional information to the ministers.
“At present, Cabinet ministers rely a lot on bureaucrats, and they don’t have time to hold engagements at every phase,” he said in a recent exclusive interview with The Star.
Currently, he said that the parliamentary committees were empowered to call on “anyone from every walk of life” to give their views on a particular subject matter.
“The committees will work hand in hand with the ministers and complement the Cabinet,” he said, adding that a review would also be done on the current committee line-up to ensure that “everyday issues” faced by the rakyat were addressed.
“We will have a relook so that the committees will be more topical to ensure that every aspect of our lives is taken care of,” he said.
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There are currently 10 bi-partisan special select committees, including education, fundamental liberty and constitutional rights, finance and economy, women and children affairs and social development, agencies under the Prime Minister’s Department and health, science and innovation.
Apart from these, ad hoc special select committees were also set up previously on anti-hopping and generational end game laws on smoking.
Johari said he also planned to make it compulsory for the select committees to hold press conferences after completing their task on a particular issue.
“The media will be allowed to ask the committee questions on their findings and recommendations so that it will be made public.
“We want to show that we have nothing to hide,” he added.
He said the proposed names of the committees members would be submitted by their respective party whips before the Dewan Rakyat meeting, which begins on Feb 13.
On the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), Johari said it would be set up when Dewan Rakyat meets.
Asked if an opposition MP would head the PAC, he said the opposition would helm the post based on an unwritten understanding.
In 2018, the previous Pakatan Harapan administration agreed that the opposition would head the PAC.
On a separate matter, Johari said that the Cabinet would soon decide on a proposal to revive the Parliamentary Services Act to give Parliament greater independence.
“Senate President Senator Tan Sri Rais Yatim and I met Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim recently to brief him on the proposed Parliamentary Services Act.
“The papers are ready and should be brought to the Cabinet anytime soon,” he said.
The Parliamentary Services Act was introduced in 1963, paving the way for Parliament to act as an independent body, running its own affairs, selecting its staff and controlling its expenditure.
However, in his first stint as prime minister, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad repealed the law in 1992, resulting in civil society’s calls for its revival ever since then.
Parliamentary affairs have since fallen under the purview of the Prime Minister’s Department.
In June, the previous administration agreed to revive the law with the draft Bill prepared by the Attorney General’s Chambers (AGC) and the Legal Affairs Division of the Prime Minister’s Department.
However, the Bill was not tabled in Dewan Rakyat because Parliament was dissolved on Oct 10 to pave the way for the 15th General Election.
Johari said it was crucial to revive the law to ensure Parliament’s independence from the executive branch.
“We may have a Parliament house, but the finances come from the Finance Minister while the Public Services Department does staffing.
“So what independence are you talking about? We feel that the independence of Parliament must be seen to be functioning.
“It will definitely make the separation of powers crystal clear and not merely something stated in the textbooks,” he added.
Under the proposed law, Johari said that the Senate president and Speaker of the House would co-chair decisions pertaining to Parliament.
