Opposition, govt MPs push for all bills to face PSSC scrutiny

Summary

• A bipartisan group of MPs calls for all bills to be automatically referred to the relevant Parliamentary Special Select Committee (PSSC) before their second reading.

• Opposition chief whip Takiyuddin Hassan argues that Standing Order 80B(3) makes PSSC scrutiny compulsory.

A bipartisan group of MPs proposed to make it compulsory for all bills to be scrutinised by the relevant Parliamentary Special Select Committee (PSSC) before the second reading.

Representing the All-party Parliamentary Group on Integrity, Governance and Anti-Corruption, Ledang MP Syed Ibrahim Syed Noh said that Standing Order 80B(3) already allows for this.

However, he cited speaker Johari Abdul’s decision in the Dewan Rakyat earlier today, where the latter said that bills were not automatically referred and the PSSC chairperson must initiate the process through a formal letter to the ministry in charge of the bill.

“If possible... we ask for it to be done automatically,” the PKR MP told a press conference in Parliament today.

During the second reading of the Government Procurement Bill 2025, Bersatu’s Machang MP Wan Ahmad Fayhsal Wan Ahmad Kamal had raised Standing Order 80B(3)(a) to ask why the bill had not gone through the PSSC.

The Standing Order says that the committee’s duty is to scrutinise bills that have been read for the first time, except for matters examined by the Public Accounts Committee.

Johari told Wan Fayhsal that it was not compulsory for bills to pass through the PSSCs, unless the ministry in charge of the bill feels otherwise.

Later, Beluran MP Ronald Kiandee, also from Bersatu, raised the matter again, to which Johari replied that the PSSC chairperson must write to the ministry for the bill to be referred to the committee.

‘Standing Order is clear’

In a separate press conference in Parliament, opposition chief whip Takiyuddin Hassan said that Standing Order 80B(3)(a) makes it compulsory for a PSSC to scrutinise a bill.

The Kota Bharu MP from PAS based this on the wording of the Standing Order, which uses the word “shall” in the English version and “hendaklah” in the Malay version.

“This means that it is mandatory, the duty of the PSSC is to immediately examine the bill that has been brought for its first reading.

“So the question from Perikatan Nasional is why the Government Procurement Bill that was brought for first reading last Monday was not brought to the relevant committee?” he said.

Meanwhile, Syed Ibrahim proposed other reforms to PSSCs, including the power to examine the annual national budget.

He also suggested that the number of PSSCs be increased so that each committee can monitor one ministry, in contrast to the current system, where multiple ministries could fall under a single committee.

“PSSC reports should be presented and debated in the Dewan Rakyat as well as officially recorded,” he added.

He further requested amendments to the Standing Orders so that PSSCs are provided with powers to summon witnesses, determine attendance, issue subpoenas, initiate proceedings in cases of contempt against the house, and conduct hybrid or public inquiries.

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