By Norrasyidah Arshad
SHAH ALAM, Aug 21 — Dewan Rakyat Speaker Tan Sri Johari Abdul paid a visit to the Selangor State Legislative Assembly building today ahead of the Conference of Speakers of Parliament and State Legislative Assemblies of Malaysia 2024 next month.
He said Selangor is the final stop of his tour series before he visits Sabah and Sarawak, which will be the main highlight of the programme scheduled for September 11 to September 14.
“This is an annual conference. Last year, it was held in Langkawi, Kedah. The objective is to strengthen the relationship between the Dewan Rakyat and state assembly Speakers, in addition to sharing experiences.
“This is important to ensure the Speaker’s institution is respected. The current system needs to be reviewed, along with clarifying the separation of powers. The findings from these visits will be highlighted and proposed as a resolution.
“The resolution can then be implemented by the respective state governments to elevate the speaker’s position and streamline both state and national administrations,” he said during a press conference after the visit.
Johari, accompanied by Selangor Speaker Lau Weng San and Deputy Speaker Mohd Kamri Kamaruddin, also paid a courtesy visit to Menteri Besar Dato’ Seri Amirudin Shari.
Yesterday, the Dewan Rakyat announced that the Speakers’ conference would highlight a number of agendas, including empowering legislative institutions through the cooperation of the Parliament, state assemblies, and executive institutions.
In addition, focus is being given to revising outdated laws, democratising legislative institutions and nurturing a new generation of leaders well-versed in political science and national administration.
The discussions will also cover development and economic growth, as well as skills enhancement and workforce efficiency through technical and vocational education and training (TVET).
Meanwhile, Johari said the Parliament will emulate Selangor’s approach to amend its standing orders to allow for proceedings to be held online in the event of emergencies.
Parliament will adopt guidelines introduced by Selangor in implementing these changes.
“Selangor is ahead of other states, and even Parliament is lagging behind. Therefore, Parliament will learn from Selangor’s approach and incorporate its guidelines into our own draft.
“This demonstrates that laws and enactments can be effectively passed and implemented without physical meetings. Amendments to several standing orders will allow for such (online) conferences,” he said.
Johari added that Selangor’s move to use an online system to manage questions filed by elected representatives should also be emulated by others.
Both these measures will be raised in the upcoming Speakers’ conference.
Selangor passed an amendment to its standing orders in August 2021 to allow state assembly proceedings to be held in a hybrid manner should there be any emergencies in the future, following the Covid-19 pandemic.
