PUTRAJAYA: Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has reminded government MPs of their responsibility to engage in constructive debate when the Dewan Rakyat begins its first meeting of the year today.
Government spokesman Datuk Fahmi Fadzil said the reminder was delivered by the Prime Minister during a pre-meeting briefing with government MPs at the Seri Perdana Complex here yesterday.
“The Prime Minister reminded us to stay focused on our duties.
“In general, he stressed that as Members of Parliament, our responsibility is not just to attend sittings, but to debate properly in the House,” Fahmi told Bernama.
He said the briefing, which lasted two hours, also served as a platform for government members of the Dewan Rakyat and Dewan Negara to strengthen ties ahead of the parliamentary meeting.
He also confirmed that four Bills have been identified as government priorities for tabling during the parliamentary session.
These include a Bill to limit the Prime Minister’s term of office to no more than 10 years or two full terms, a Bill on the separation of powers between the Public Prosecutor and the Attorney General, the Ombudsman Bill and a Bill related to the Freedom of Information Act.
Earlier, the Prime Minister left the Seri Perdana Complex after chairing the briefing and took time to greet members of the media gathered for updates.
The first meeting of the fifth session of the 15th Parliament will begin today with the address by His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim, King of Malaysia, at the opening ceremony.
According to the parliamentary calendar on Parliament’s website, in addition to the motion of thanks on the Royal Address, the 20-day Dewan Rakyat meeting will see MPs taking part in the debate for seven days from tomorrow.
The meeting will continue with ministers’ question time in the third week of the session from Feb 4 to 10, followed by the tabling of Bills and other government business from Feb 11 to March 3.
