Expedite PSA revival, political funding law - Bersatu MP tells govt

Summary

• Tasek Gelugor MP Wan Saiful Wan Jan urges the government to expedite the Parliamentary Services Act and enact a political funding law.

• Wan Saiful cites efforts which started from 2018 in questioning the government's commitment to expedite the two institutional reform promises.

PARLIAMENT | An opposition lawmaker debating the royal address has urged the government to expedite two long-standing reform promises - reinstate the Parliamentary Services Act (PSA) and enact a new political funding law.

In making the call, Wan Saiful Wan Jan (PN-Tasek Gelugor) stressed the importance of the two laws towards strengthening Parliament as the legislative arm and the role of opposition MPs as a check and balance force.

"I do not understand why in a situation where many initiatives have been done (to revive the PSA), it has yet to be tabled by the government," he said in the Dewan Rakyat today.

The PSA was first enacted in 1963, just a few months before the formation of Malaysia.

It allowed Parliament to act as a truly independent body, running its affairs, selecting its staff and controlling its expenditure.

Wan Saiful pointed out efforts to revive the PSA had been initiated since 2018 during Pakatan Harapan's first stint in Putrajaya under former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who during his initial tenure had in 1992 repealed the law.

"What needs to be done is to continue what has been started. There is no need for overly lengthy or complicated research, because it has already been done.

"The minister last year said the draft law is 90 percent ready... if so, why was the draft not tabled last year? It can't be so slow to finish the remaining 10 percent?" he said in reference to Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Azalina Othman Said.

Has govt lost its commitment?

Further, Wan Saiful cited a proposed draft for a political financing law - presented in 2022 by an inter-parliamentary group - which has yet to be adopted by the government.

The former chief executive officer for think-tank Ideas added that he had been involved in similar consultations since 2015, even before being elected an MP.

"This just shows the government has lost its commitment towards institutional reforms," claimed the Bersatu lawmaker.

Major politically linked corruption scandals, including the recent allegations involving Sabah assemblypersons had fueled debates on the urgent need for a political funding law.

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