Parliament Gets Its Own Cabinet In Reform Bill Says Johari

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Dewan Rakyat Speaker Johari Abdul said ‘we will govern what is happening, including setting our own policies’. (Bernama pic)
PETALING JAYA: Parliament will get its own “cabinet” to determine expenditures and policies as part of reforms proposed in a bill tabled this week, the Speaker of the Dewan Rakyat, Johari Abdul, said today.
He said the proposed parliamentary council, to be jointly chaired by the Dewan Rakyat Speaker and the president of the Dewan Negara (Senate), will play the role of Parliament’s “cabinet”.
He said the bill provides for the council to decide on the expenditures of the two houses of Parliament, and set up select committees and caucuses.
Johari said the bill will ensure the separation of power between the legislative and executive branches of government. “We will govern what is happening, including setting our own policies,” he said.
The proposals, part of efforts to reform the administration of Parliament, are contained in the Parliamentary Services Bill 2025, which was tabled this week. MPs are expected to debate the bill on Tuesday.
Johari said the proposed council would include the deputy president of the Senate, two deputy speakers of the House, two senators, four MPs, the secretaries of the two houses, and three ex-officio members – the secretary-general of the Treasury, the director-general of public services, and the chief administrator of Parliament.
The bill provides for the secretaries of the two houses to be nominated by the head of each house (the Speaker and Senate president) with the approval of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.
Johari said the bill seeks to empower the two houses to discuss and amend their statutes and provisions, which currently fall under the purview of the prime minister’s Cabinet.
About a third of parliamentary staff have opted to join the new parliamentary service proposed in the bill, according to the parliamentary administrator’s office.
It said in a statement that the bill introduces a “hybrid model” for employment of parliamentary staff, which would accommodate the 67% of staff who wish to remain in their current posts as part of the civil service.
The statement said the hybrid model would allow the management of human resources, administration and finances to be handled by civil service officers, while the management of the two chambers and parliamentary select committees will be handled by a separate service committee.
“This aims to ensure a balance between specialised services and administrative and operational efficiency in the management of Parliament,” the statement said. - FMT

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