KUALA LUMPUR: A total of 14 Bills have been scheduled to be tabled for a second reading at the Second Meeting of the Dewan Rakyat's Fifth Session of the 14th Parliament, which will kick off its three-week sitting tomorrow.
All eyes in the current meeting will be on the Constitution (Amendment) (No. 3) Bill 2022 which prohibits Members of Parliament (MP) from changing parties.
Based on the Order Paper for July 18 posted on the Parliament of Malaysia website, the constitutional amendment Bill is 14th on the list of bills which will see business in the current sitting.
Other bills that are also listed for business in the lower house of Parliament are - National Forestry (Amendment) Bill 2022; the Malaysia Border Control Agency (Dissolution) Bill 2021; Offenders Compulsory Attendance (Amendment) Bill 2021; the East Coast Economic Region Development Council (Amendment) Bill 2022 and; the Control of Padi and Rice (Amendment) Bill 2022.
In addition, during the sitting, the House will also debate and adopt the Anti-Sexual Harassment Bill 2021; Poisons (Amendment) Bill 2022; Trade Unions (Amendment) Bill 2022; Employees Social Security (Amendment) Bill 2022; Employment Insurance System (Amendment) Bill 2022; Independent Police Conduct Commission Bill 2020; and Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases (Amendment) Bill 2021.
On Wednesday, Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Parliament and Law), Datuk Seri Dr Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar informed that the Constitution (Amendment) (No. 3) Bill 2022 is proposed to be debated in the lower house on July 27 and 28.
This however is subject to the discretion of the Speaker of the Dewan Rakyat, he explained.
He said that the draft constitutional amendment bill as well as the report of the Select Committee on the matter will be placed on the table of MPs on July 18.
Wan Junaidi said the first reading of the Constitutional amendment bill in the Dewan Negara is proposed to be tabled on Aug 9, followed by the second reading on Aug 10, before it is presented to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong between Aug 11 to 26 for approval, while it is expected to be gazetted between Aug 29 and Sept 2.
On April 11, the Dewan Rakyat agreed with the motion that the Constitution (Amendment) Bill (No. 3) 2022 was to be submitted to the Select Committee for scrutiny and finalisation.
Apart from that, according to the Order Paper, the first business of the house tomorrow following the Question and Answer session in the morning will be a motion to elect a new Dewan Rakyat Deputy Speaker to replace Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said.
A motion to elect a new Dewan Rakyat Deputy Speaker was postponed twice - on Oct 25 last year and March 1.
On Oct 25, Wan Junaidi informed that the election for the post was postponed to allow amendments to Article 57 (1) (b) of the Federal Constitution to increase the number of Dewan Rakyat Deputy Speakers from two to three.
On March 1, Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Parliament and Law), Datuk Mas Ermieyati Samsudin submitted a motion to postpone the election to the current July/August house meeting.
The government bench has nominated Cameron Highlands Member of Parliament, Datuk Ramli Mohd Noor as a candidate for the post, while the opposition bench nominated Teluk Intan Member of Parliament and former Deputy Speaker, Nga Kor Ming. This will see an election involving lawmakers who will decide who between the two will occupy the chair.
Azalina resigned from the post on Aug 23 last year, but she continued to preside over Dewan Rakyat meetings at the request of Speaker Tan Sri Azhar Azizan Harun. Ramli was also given the opportunity to preside over proceedings.
Meanwhile, 103 questions have been lined up during the Question and Answer session tomorrow.