Kuala Lumpur: Efforts to amend the Federal Constitution and formulate the Parliamentary Services Bill 2025 to elevate the status of the Parliamentary institution can be deemed as the mother of all reforms, said Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said. The Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Law and Institutional Reform) emphasized that under the MADANI Government's institutional reform agenda, Parliamentary Services will gain autonomous power in determining policies and governance for the Malaysian Parliament. "This indirectly gives real meaning to (the doctrine of) separation of powers among the judiciary, executive, and legislature," she told the Dewan Rakyat today when winding up the debate on the motion of thanks on the royal address for the Prime Minister's Department.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, Azalina mentioned that in drafting the bill, several engagement sessions, committee meetings, and surveys were conducted in 2023 and 2024. These involved the Senate President, Dewak Rakyat Speaker, Public Service Department, Ministry of Finance, and non-governmental organisations to discuss policy formulation and the establishment of the Parliamentary Services Act. Notably, the Parliamentary Services Act was first introduced in 1963 before being repealed in 1992.
The Constitution (Amendment) Bill 2025 and Parliamentary Services Bill 2025 were tabled for first reading in the Dewan Rakyat yesterday, with the second reading scheduled for March 4, to be presented by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
Meanwhile, Azalina highlighted the necessity to amend the Contracts Act 1950 (Act 136), stating it requires revisions to align with modern digital transactions and e-commerce agreements. She observed that much of Act 136 still uses outdated terminology, which presents a challenge in today's digital age. "This is a crucial challenge because today, bank documents are digital, and so are signatures. Sometimes this affects the burden of proof in contract cases, making it more complex if the law is not reviewed and amended," she explained.
In this context, she revealed that the Act 136 Amendment Review Committee, chaired by Federal Court Judge Datuk Vazeer Alam Mydin Meera, was established on January 14 to conduct a comprehensive review of the Act.