Selangor state legislative assembly speaker Hannah Yeoh has proposed two amendments to the Standing Orders of the House, with regard to and expanding the requirement for asset declaration.

She said the first amendment would be to fix a time for the Opposition Leader to speak during the state legislative assembly sitting. 

The second one is to expand the powers of the Rights and Privileges Committee so it can "review and consider declaration of assets" of all elected representatives.

“We are in the process of proposing amendments to the Standing Orders, one of which would be to introduce a speech by the opposition leader.

“This is our first proposed amendment for now, because we do not have a special slot for the opposition leader’s speech,” Yeoh said at a press conference at the state assembly building in Shah Alam today.

Yeoh, who chairs the Standing Orders Committee, said the Opposition Leader’s capacity to speak during debates or to propose any motion is now strictly up to the Speaker’s discretion.

The state opposition leader’s post was vacated by BN’s Sungai Burong assemblyperson Mohd Shamsudin Lias in December 2014.

The proposed Standing Order 13 states that the Opposition Leader could only speak in the state assembly based on a prepared text submitted to the speaker, no less than two days before the sitting commenced.

The text must not 1,000 words and must be related to adminstration matters under the purview of the MB and matters the MB can respond to, she said.

The second proposed amendment relates to asset declarations by all elected representatives.

Yeoh said that the proposal was made in the context of the powers under the state’s Rights and Privileges Committee.


“Now, we want to add on another task to the committee - to review and consider declaration of assets and financial interests by all elected representatives.


“Asset declaration in Selangor is currently only focused on the exco (executive council members). This new proposal that the committee wants to implement would be to help improve accountability and transparency by all assemblypersons,” she said.

Yeoh added that the proposals to amend the Standing Orders must be tabled twice, the first time as a notice to all state assembly members and would be passed without debate.