PUTRAJAYA: The chairmen of nine Parliamentary special select committees have been named, following a restructuring exercise involving the composition of lawmakers representing both sides of the political divide.
Five of the committees are being chaired by government lawmakers while four others are headed by Opposition MPs.
Announcing this, Dewan Rakyat Speaker Datuk Azizan Azhar Harun named Pengerang MP Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said as chairman of the special select committee on women and children affairs and social development.
Beaufort MP Datuk Azizah Dun is the chairman of the special select committee on fundamental liberty and Constitutional rights while Rompin lawmaker Datuk Seri Hasan Arifin is the chairman
of the special select committee on finance and economy.
PAS’ Kuala Krai MP Abdul Latiff Abdul Rahman will be heading the special select committee on agencies under the Prime Minister’s Department and GPS’ Tanjung Manis elected representative Yusuf Abd Wahab is the special select committee on infrastructure development chairman.
The special select committees to be headed by Opposition MPs are the ones on Security (Sungai Petani MP Datuk Johari Abdul), Agriculture and Domestic Trade (Kulim Bandar Baharu MP Datuk
Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail), Education (Simpang Renggam MP Dr Maszlee Malik) and Health, Science and Innovation (Bandar Kuching MP Kelvin Yii).
Azhar said the restructuring was carried out to reflect the recent memorandum of understanding signed between the government and Pakatan Harapan.
"To fulfil one of the items agreed upon, which is to achieve a balance in the membership of the select committee, the number of members in all the special select committees have been increased from seven to nine,” he said.
"There are now five government MPs and four Opposition MPs on every special select committee,” added Azhar in a statement on Friday (Nov 5).
Azhar also announced the setting up of a new special select committee on International Affairs.
"The members for this special select committee are currently being chosen," he said.
He said he hoped that with the new structure, the special select committees would be able to effectively carry out the responsibilities tasked to them.
