Psa Revival Groups Raise Concern Over Watered Down Bill

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Civil society organisations pushing for the revival of the Parliamentary Services Act (PSA) want Putrajaya to be transparent with its final draft of the bill.
ADSCiting concerns over a possible “watered-down” version, the groups urge the government to hold a final engagement session with all stakeholders before the bill goes to the Dewan Rakyat.
Bersih chairperson Muhammad Faisal Abdul Aziz said they welcome the government’s intention to table the bill during the current Dewan Rakyat session but stressed that it should give “functional autonomy” to the legislative body.
“... the bill should live up to the spirit that ensures separation of powers between the executive and the legislative.
“It should give autonomy to Parliament, provide sufficient financial resources from the treasury, and give enough power to make the cabinet or executives accountable to Parliament as per Article 43(3) of the Federal Constitution.
“More importantly, before the bill gets tabled in Parliament, (the government) must hold a special engagement session where all stakeholders can give their feedback on its final draft,” he told Malaysiakini.
Bersih chairperson Muhammad Faisal Abdul AzizAdding further, Faisal stressed the importance of PSA to the country, dubbing it the “mother” of all parliamentary and institutional reform due to the magnitude of its role in providing checks and balances.
Key points
Thomas Fann from Project Stability and Accountability for Malaysia (Projek Sama) listed four key points they believe the bill must have for a strong PSA.
He said it should enable Parliament to have full authority over its own affairs, and independent human resources, and allow for essential services to continue for all MPs and senators regardless of their parties.
“Independent management bodies like a Parliamentary Services Commission and Joint Committee of the Dewan Negara and Dewan Rakyat should be set up to handle Parliament’s finances, administration, and staffing without government interference.
“If the new PSA doesn’t include these elements, it would be a watered-down version that fails to truly empower Parliament or make it more independent,” he said.
Earlier this month, Petaling Jaya MP Lee Chean Chung revealed that the government is planning to table the reintroduction of PSA during the current Parliament session.
ADSThis, he said, was based on a pre-council meeting that he and other government backbenchers had with Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim on Feb 2.
The government had promised to table the reintroduction of PSA last year, with Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reforms) Azalina Othman Said indicating that the drafting process was “90 percent complete”.
The Parliamentary Services Act was first enacted in 1963, just a few months before the formation of Malaysia.
It allowed Parliament to act as a truly independent body, running its own affairs, selecting its staff and controlling its expenditure.
However, it was repealed in 1992 and placed as a key reform agenda under the present administration. - Mkini

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