KUALA LUMPUR: The long-awaited Parliamentary Services Act (PSA) will be tabled during the coming Parliament meeting in October, said Tan Sri Johari Abdul.
The Dewan Rakyat Speaker confirmed that the Blue Bill for the PSA is ready for tabling.
"I was informed that the Bill is ready and God willing, it will be tabled this coming Dewan Rakyat meeting which will see the revival of the PSA," he said after an engagement session with the media on Wednesday. (Sept 25).
He said that the Bill is likely to be tabled by Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Law and Institutional Reforms) Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said, and go through the normal process.
He said the Bill must be passed by both Houses of Parliament and gazetted before it can be implemented.
"I call on MPs to support the Bill.
"The revival of the PSA will show the world that separation of powers is truly practiced in Malaysia," he said.
Although not giving a time frame when the PSA would become law, Johari said it would take about one and half years for Parliament to carry out a full transition once the law is passed and gazetted.
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 own affairs, selecting its staff, and control its expenditure.
However, it was repealed during the administration of Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad in 1992.
Since then, there had been numerous calls from civil society for PSA to be revived to ensure the independence of Parliament. ENDs
