KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 8 — The ongoing Israeli aggression against Palestinians took centre stage during the fourth week of the Dewan Rakyat sitting, with Malaysia once again reaffirming its firm stance in advocating for justice and the rights of Palestine.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim raised the matter during a briefing session on the Palestinian issue at the Dewan Rakyat, saying he received an invitation from King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud of Saudi Arabia to participate in the extraordinary Arab-Islamic Summit on November 11, aimed at discussing Israel’s ongoing war crimes and atrocities against Palestine.
His participation at the summit, set to take place in Riyadh, is to bring the mandate of the Malaysian Parliament, which called for firm action to stop the ongoing Israeli aggression and atrocities against the Palestinians.
This week’s sitting also saw 156 MPs from the government, Opposition, and Independent blocs concluding their eight-day debate on the Supply (Budget) Bill 2025 at the policy level, which began on October 21.
Among the issues raised during this week’s debate was the RM43.9 million loss incurred by Khazanah Nasional Berhad and Permodalan Nasional Berhad in FashionValet Sdn Bhd, when several MPs raised concerns about the management and governance of statutory bodies, government-linked companies (GLC), and government-linked investment companies (GLIC), urging immediate attention.
Bandar Kuching MP Dr Kelvin Yii Lee Wuen suggested that the government establish a Special Select Committee for GLC and GLIC Reform, emphasising the need for a rigorous monitoring process.
The issue also drew the attention of Deputy Speaker Datuk Ramli Mohd Nor, who interjected Dr Yii's debate.
“Can we, through Yang Berhormat (Dr Yii), ask the minister whether approval from the MOF (Ministry of Finance) was obtained by this GLC or GLIC? Also during the sale of the FashionValet stake, did they obtain clearance from the MOF or Khazanah? May I include (this in your debate speech),” he said.
This week’s Dewan Rakyat session also saw 13 ministries and the Prime Minister’s Department complete the winding up of the debate on the bill, which began on Wednesday (November 6).
The ministries include the Rural and Regional Development Ministry, the Energy Transition and Water Transformation Ministry, the Transport Ministry; the Tourism, Arts, and Culture Ministry, the Economy Ministry, the Plantation and Commodities Ministry, the Foreign Affairs Ministry, and the Works Ministry.
Other ministries were the Home Ministry; the Investment, Trade, and Industry Ministry, the Defence Ministry, the Communications Ministry, and the Youth and Sports Ministry.
Also drawing attention this week was the winding-up session by Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives Deputy Minister Datuk R. Ramanan, who was tasked by the Prime Minister with addressing questions and issues concerning the Indian community and the Malaysian Indian Community Transformation Unit.
Overall, this week’s sitting was calm, but a heated exchange erupted when Jelutong MP RSN Rayer tabled a motion to refer Pendang MP Datuk Awang Hashim to the Dewan Rakyat Rights and Privileges Committee for making accusatory statements that misled the House.
Speaker Tan Sri Johari Abdul then ordered Awang to produce evidence regarding his claim on the alleged discovery of RM94 million in cash at a former minister’s residence or to make an apology.
Meanwhile, the Parliament launched the Health Wellness Programme this week, aimed at promoting a healthy lifestyle among lawmakers. The programme will run from November 6 to November 14.
The Dewan Rakyat session will resume on Monday (November 11), with 14 more ministries scheduled to wrap up the debate on the Supply Bill 2025 for two days. MPs will then debate the bill at the Committee stage for 12 days starting November 13, before it is voted on by the Dewan Rakyat.
The Third Meeting of the Third Session of the 15th Parliament is for 35 days from October 14 to December 12.
— Bernama
