Kit Siang proposes presenting CEP, IRC, ERC reports at upcoming Parliament

The Malaysian Parliament is scheduled for a new session beginning February 13, 2023.

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 31 – DAP veteran Lim Kit Siang has made five proposals to be considered for the upcoming parliamentary session, saying that it could be a significant meeting in Malaysian history in initiating institutional reforms to both unite the plural society of Malaysia and restore the country’s economic competitiveness.

The proposals included tabling several bills as well as presenting the reports of the Council of Eminent Persons (CEP), the Institutional Reforms Committee (IRC) and the Electoral Reform Committee (ERC) as White Papers.

“These Committees were set up in 2018 during the Pakatan Harapan government under former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad to hear the views of various civil society groups on strengthening the system of governance and the rule of law….the reports were never tabled …although they were completed and submitted to the Prime Minister before the Pakatan Harapan government was toppled,” Kit Siang said in a statement issued today.

“Why should there be such secrecy on matters of clear public interest with regard to the hundreds of  recommendations related to governance, integrity and corruption prevention in the CEP report?”

He said presenting the reports at the Feb 13 Parliament sitting will allow Parliamentarians and the public the opportunity to debate their merits or demerits.

Kit Siang also proposed tabling Bills to limit the term and power of the Prime Minister; to separate the office of the Attorney-General and the Public Prosecutor and to restore the Parliamentary Services  Act on the dignity and independence of Parliament.

The other proposals were to uphold the doctrine of separation of powers and  introduce a Bill to amend the Judicial Appointments Commission  (JAC) Act to ensure that the appointment of judges, including  the Chief Justice and major judicial appointments, is free from the influence of  the Prime Minister and reflect diversity and inclusivity, and as far as possible, mirror the demography of the general population in every aspect.

He also suggested increasing parliamentary sitting days from 71 for 2023 to a minimum of 100 days per year so that all needed legislative reforms could be carried out and that there would be an active parliamentary select committee (PSC) system to provide an effective check and balance on the Executive.

— WE