JOHOR BARU: A proposed amendment to the Majlis Amanah Rakyat (Mara) Act 1966 has cleared a key hurdle after receiving Cabinet approval at the policy level, says Datuk Dr Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki.
The Mara chairman added the Cabinet had approved a policy paper on the proposed amendments, paving the way for the drafting process before the Bill is tabled in Parliament.
“The Cabinet has approved the policy paper for us to amend the Mara Act 1966,” he told reporters when met during the sidelines of Majlis Zikir Peringatan Haul Asmaulhusna held at Masjid Sultan Iskandar here on Sunday (June 14).
However, Asyraf said the approval was currently limited to the policy stage and that the draft amendments would now be circulated to relevant stakeholders, particularly ministries, for further review and feedback.
He said the consultation process was necessary to ensure all views were taken into account before the proposal was brought back to the Cabinet for final approval.
“The draft will be given to all stakeholders, especially other ministries, to be evaluated and refined so that we can obtain their feedback before bringing it once again to the Cabinet meeting,” he said.
According to Asyraf, the next step would be to secure Cabinet approval for the final draft before it is presented in Parliament.
He added that Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, who is also Rural and Regional Development Minister, had expressed hope that the amendments could be tabled this year.
“I was asked by the Deputy Prime Minister, who is also the minister overseeing Mara, to ensure that, if possible, the amendments are tabled in Parliament this year,” he said.
