PETALING JAYA: It will be a historic moment for Dewan Rakyat Speaker Tan Sri Johari Abdul when his son, Dr Mohammed Taufiq Johari, attends Parliament as minister when the House convenes for its first meeting of the year tomorrow.
The Sungai Petani MP was appointed a full minister following the Cabinet reshuffle on Dec 18 and will take his seat as a frontbencher in the august House as the new Youth and Sports Minister.
Besides Taufiq, several deputy ministers will make their debut as full ministers following their promotion in the Cabinet reshuffle.
Among them are Akmal Nasrullah Mohd Nasir who was appointed Economy Minister, Datuk Seri Arthur Joseph Kurup (Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability), Datuk Seri Dr Noriani Ahmad (Plantations and Commodities) and Datuk Seri R. Ramanan (Human Resources).
Also elevated to Ministers in the Prime Minister’s Department were Datuk Mustapha Sakmud (Sabah and Sarawak Affairs) and Dr Zulkifli Hasan (Religious Affairs).
Also noteworthy was the Federal Court’s decision on Jan 9, which concluded a three-year legal tussle over the fate of four seats held by Bersatu MPs Datuk Armizan Mohd Ali (Papar), Khairul Firdaus Akbar Khan (Batu Sapi), Datuk Jonathan Yasin (Ranau) and Datuk Matbali Musah (Sipitang).
The ruling allows the four to retain their seats, with no further legal avenues for Bersatu to seek their vacancies.
The start of this Parliament session year will also see the government push its reform agenda through the tabling of crucial Bills, including constitutional amendments.
Among them are Bills to limit the Prime Minister’s term to two years, separating the powers of the Attorney General and the Public Prosecutor, introducing freedom of information and establishment of an ombudsman.
It also remains to be seen whether the Urban Renewal Bill will be retabled for its second reading following pushback from several quarters.
All eyes will also be on whether Opposition chief whip Datuk Seri Takiyuddin Hassan will be suspended after he narrowly escaped a suspension on the last day of the last meeting on Dec 4.
He was referred to Parliament’s Rights and Privilege Committee for linking a Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency exercise to the 1985 Memali tragedy.
The Kinabatang seat, which became vacant following the recent passing of its MP Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin, is expected to be filled pending the outcome of the parliamentary by-election on Jan 24 in Sabah.
Meanwhile, His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim, King of Malaysia, is set to deliver his royal address to Dewan Rakyat and Dewan Negara tomorrow, marking the beginning of the First Meeting Of The Fifth Session Of the 15th Parliament.
Dewan Rakyat will convene its 20-day meeting from Jan 19 until March 3 and the Senate a month later on Feb 19.
Before that, His Majesty will inspect the Royal Guard of Honour from the 1st Battalion of the Royal Malay Regiment, Sungai Besi Camp at the Parliament Square.
The Motion of Thanks on the Royal Address is scheduled for Feb 20, with debates slated to be held from Jan 21 to Jan 29.
This will be followed by the ministerial responses from Feb 4 to Feb 10 before debates on Bills are held.
