KUALA LUMPUR: Deputy Dewan Rakyat Speaker Datuk Ramli Mohd Nor hopes proposed amendments to the Aboriginal Peoples Act 1954 (Act 134) will be backed by at least 148 or two-thirds of the MPs.
According to Ramli, there were only two occasions where Malaysian governments enjoyed support from two-thirds of MPs in Parliament, once during former premier Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi’s tenure in 2004 and Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s current tenure.
“I hope the Opposition will support these amendments after they are passed by the Cabinet and the Rulers’ Conference.
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“I had to use this space because there were no Orang Asli representatives here... I’m requesting for the Opposition leader to support this. This is my hope,” he when chairing the Parliament session on Monday (July 1).
He added that he was currently leading engagement sessions regarding the proposed amendments to Act 134.
“Once that (the engagement sessions) concludes, I will bring this to Deputy Prime Minister I Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and he will bring it to the PM.
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“After it is passed by the Cabinet, it will be brought to the Rulers Conference and then to Parliament," he added.
Ramli had said previously that the proposed amendments would place Orang Asli issues under the purview of Federal and state governments, giving them shared responsibility for the welfare of the community.
