Why Elevate Psscs If Bills Still Get Rushed Asks Bersih Chief

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Bersih chairperson Faisal Abdul Aziz has questioned the haste with which several recent bills have been rushed through parliament, despite recent reforms intended to introduce more checks and balances in the legislative process.
He said the process of debating bills in Parliament needs to be improved further to achieve the government’s goal of reforming Parliament, especially with several important upcoming bills.
“Otherwise, the efforts to reform Parliament will be seen as cosmetic and not based on a genuine commitment to reform,” he said in a series of posts on the microblogging service X today.
Parliament passed the Parliamentary Services Bill 2025 and constitutional amendments in March, intended to enhance Parliament’s autonomy and give parliamentary special select committees (PSSC) a stronger role to perform checks and balances.
On Aug 12, the Dewan Rakyat also amended its Standing Orders to bring them in line with the introduction of the Parliament Services Act 2025.
Among others, Faisal said this elevated the temporary status of PSSCs overseeing the various ministries into permanent parliamentary select committees (PSC).
According to Faisal, these changes mean PSC members have a greater space in performing checks and balances, oversight, and policymaking.
“And yet, several bills have recently been tabled in parliament in a hasty manner. The question is, why didn’t these bills first go through the PSCs that now have permanent status?” he asked.
He said the Government Procurement Bill 2025 should have been scrutinised by the PSC on Finance and Economy beforehand, while the Urban Renewal Bill 2025 should be scrutinised by the PSC on Infrastructure, Transport, and Communications.
In calling for more parliamentary scrutiny on upcoming legislation, Faisal noted that the government is expected to table several important bills soon.
This includes the Freedom of Information Bill and the Ombudsman Bill, he said. - FMT

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