LETTER | Govt's move to give more autonomy to Parliament lauded

LETTER | Bersih welcomes Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Azalina Othman Said’s statement that the government has agreed in principle to amend the Federal Constitution and re-enact the Parliamentary Services Act (PSA) to grant administrative and financial autonomy to Parliament.

The act is required for the Parliament to be fully independent, administratively and financially, and to function as a check and balance body per the doctrine of separation of powers between the Executive, Legislative, and Judiciary.

The Parliamentary Services Act is one of the demands in our “Reformasi 100 percent” memorandum presented to Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim in a meeting last month.

Although Azalina announced that the effort is almost "90 percent completed," Bersih urges that the timeline for the tabling of this bill be set before the end of 2024 so that all outstanding matters can be finalized before the announced date.

Aside from engagement with Dewan Negara and Dewan Rakyat speakers, Prime Minister’s Department’s Legal Affairs Division, the Finance Ministry, and the Public Service Department, we also request that the draft bill be reviewed by the Parliamentary Special Select Committee on Human Rights, Elections, and Institutional Reform to obtain bipartisan feedback.

Engage with civil society organisations as well so that we are aware of the provisions contained in the most recent draft bill to re-enact PSA.

Through Bersih's consultation with various MPs from the government and opposition, we are confident that a transparent tabling of this bill will increase Parliament's autonomy and garner bipartisan support from all MPs.

Bersih hopes that the government can immediately realise this aspiration by tabling the Parliamentary Services Bill before the end of 2024.

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