Act 355, perceived cracks in opposition camp will heat up the Dewan Rakyat session

KUALA LUMPUR: The first meeting of the fifth term of the 13th Parliament, which begins this Monday, will undoubtedly focus on the proposal to amend the Syariah Courts (Criminal Jurisdiction) Act 1965 (Act 355) and the position of the opposition camp which was seen to be rocky and losing its direction.
The Parliament sitting, which is for 20 days from this Monday to April 6, will be officiated by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Muhammad V and will be held at the main Parliament building as the upgrading works on the building, carried out since 2012, were now completed.
The sitting was scheduled to begin with the Motion of Thanks debate over a period of seven days before the questions and answers session by the ministries which will followed by a special session and later on, debate on various bills.
Presentation of the bills and the amendments were expected to attract attention of this sitting.
Hoping for a smooth and orderly sitting, Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said said: "The government will give emphasis and focus more on the issues of bills such as the Bankruptcy Act 1967 (Act 360) and the law on sexual crimes against children in addition to several other amendments.
"There will probably be a few other bills from several ministries. All these lists may be subject to change and under the discretion of the Management Division of the Dewan Rakyat," she told Bernama.
She said the government was considering to improve the Bankruptcy Act 1967 (Act 360) with the matter of concern being those who acted as guarantors especially social guarantors to lenders who failed to repay the loan.
"The government believes these people should not be charged for the loans taken by others," she said.
For the proposed Child Sexual Crimes Act, Azalina previously said that it would be brought to Parliament at the sitting in March for the first and second reading after the Cabinet approval.
The proposal was currently in drafting stage at the Attorney-General's Chambers and the Cabinet had also agreed to set up a special court to handle cases involving the Act, thus solving criminal cases of sexual crimes against children without much delay.
In the meantime, she hoped that every member of Parliament (MP) would make use of opportunities and space provided at the sitting with a sense of responsibility to the people.
"Parliament is the highest institution to discuss the welfare of the citizens represented by Members of Parliament and for various laws to be debated.
"In the duration of 20 days of the sitting all MPs are hoped to participate in the debate on the royal address as well as other bills which will be presented later. Take advantage of the opportunity and the space available as people outside are watching us.
"I also hope all parties involved including government officials and the media to uphold the prestige of the Dewan Rakyat.
In this session, the focus would also be upon the proposal to amend the Syariah Courts (Criminal Jurisdiction) Act 1965 (Act 355). However, Azalina declined to say whether it would be presented at this sitting.
The proposal to amend Act 355 for the first time brought to the Dewan Rakyat in May 2016 and the motion was again read by PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang on Nov 24 last year and it was expected to be elaborated further during this sitting.
Another focus would be on the perceived turmoil in the opposition camp when political cooperation between PAS and Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) or Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (PPBM) was coming apart due to differing views regarding Bill 355 namely from DAP and Amanah.
DAP is believed to face internal crisis when four elected representatives in Malacca quit the party with immediate effect as they were disillusioned with party leaders and claimed that DAP has deviated from the original objective including cooperation with former enemy now PBBM chairman, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
They were Kota Malacca Member of Parliament Sim Tong Him; Duyong state assemblyman Goh Leong San; Bachang state assemblyman Lim Jak Wong and Kesidang state assemblyman Chin Choong Seong.
Hence, there were many questions pertaining to the direction of the opposition camp in getting their approval of any bill to be tabled by the government or the occurrence of split votes that would spark dispute, as previously happened.
After completion of the Dewan Rakyat, the focus will shift to the Dewan Negara or Senate for 10 days from April 17 to April 27. — Bernama