Bring back Parliamentary Services Act, change the way Parliament works, urges Shahrir

PETALING JAYA - Umno veteran Tan Sri Shahrir Samad has urged the government to bring back Parliamentary Service Act enacted in 1963, just a few months before the formation of Malaysia should be brought back.

This he said was to uplift the standards and ethics of MPs in Parliament.

He said by changing the way the Parliament works, the nation will be able to how MPs behave as legislators while MP and ministers would need to be diligent in Parliament.

“When I raised the price of petrol, we had a debate in Parliament and that shows how we treated Parliament back then," said the former domestic trade and consumer affairs minister.

“MPs should be legislators who are interested in the details of laws and the budget and any motion from the government needs to be explained further to the public," he said at Bersih and the Bar Council conference on Necessary Pre-GE15 Reforms at the Crystal Crown Hotel in Petaling Jaya, today.

The former Johor Bahru MP said the ruling government and the opposition need to work together. “Rakyat benefits when both parties work together,” he said.

The Parliamentary Services Act allows Parliament to function as a completely autonomous body, administering its own affairs, hiring its own personnel, and regulating its spending.

It was, however, repealed in 1992, during the first Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad's administration, with legislative affairs being transferred directly to the Prime Minister's Department.

Former Dewan Rakyat deputy speaker Nga Kor Ming in January 2020 had asked a replacement but this was sidetracked by the Sheraton Move, which caused in a sudden change in government administration.

Those in favour of the act claim that since the repeal of the Parliamentary Services Act, there have been instances of direct interference by the executive in the legislative branch, allowing Parliament to be used as an extension of the administration.

Proponents believe that if they are given more independence, laws will be subjected to greater scrutiny, and parliamentary select committees (PSC) will be reinforced, without the possibility of government meddling.

Assuming these committees are given adequate funding, some believe it will allow the legislative branch to formulate and table the law that accommodate to the needs of the people, rather than the needs of the government of the day.