KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 10 — The seventh week sitting of the Dewan Rakyat witnessed the house having passed, among others, the operating expenditure of another eight ministries in the 2022 Budget at the committee level.
It involved the Health Ministry; Housing and Local Government Ministry; International Trade and Industry Ministry; Public Works Ministry; Communications and Multimedia Ministry; Women, Family and Community Development Ministry; Defence Ministry and the Home Ministry.
So far, the estimated operating expenditure for 24 ministries and five agencies under the Prime Minister’s Department had been approved at the committee level, while the debate and winding up of the Supply Bill 2022 (Budget 2022) at the committee level for another two ministries — the Education Ministry and the Higher Education Ministry, is scheduled this Monday.
According to the Dewan Rakyat calendar, the debate and winding-up session of Budget 2022 is scheduled to last until December 13. The bill was passed at the policy level last November 18.
This week also saw the issue of rising prices of basic necessities once again became the focus of the Dewan Rakyat when Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim asked on the immediate action and measures to be taken by the Cost of Living Action Council to address the current crisis.
Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Economy) Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed, in response to the question by Anwar, said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob had instructed all ministries to take immediate action to address related issues according to their respective areas of responsibility.
Mustapa said medium and long-term actions were also tabled by the relevant ministries at the Cost of Living Action Council meeting chaired by the Prime Minister yesterday (Thursday).
Another highlight at this week’s sitting was the issue to ban the kavadi procession during Thaipusam and chingay in conjunction with the Chinese New Year celebration which received various feedbacks from members of the house, including opposition MP RSN Rayer, leading him to submit a motion to the Dewan Rakyat for a debate on the matter.
The issue on the appointment of Wan Izzana Fatimah Zabedah Mohamad Salleh as a Non-Executive Board Member of the Malaysian Digital Economic Corporation (MDEC) was also raised by several opposition MPs during the debate session on the Supply Bill 2022 (Budget 2022) at the Committee level for the Ministry of Communications and Multimedia.
Communications and Multimedia Minister Tan Sri Annuar Musa, when clarifying the matter, said the appointment of Wan Izzana Fatimah Zabedah, who is former Women, Family and Community Development Minister Tan Sri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil’s daughter, was made by the Finance Ministry in accordance with existing rules based on her track record and experience.
Apart from that, the Dewan Rakyat was also informed that the decision to use the Single Wholesale Network (SWN) for 5G implementation was in progress and the negotiation process between Digital Nasional Bhd and the telecommunications company is handled by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission.
— Bernama
