Debate on supply bill at policy level ends, winding up to begin on Monday

KUALA LUMPUR: A total of 131 parliamentary members (MPs) debated the Supply Bill 2022 at the policy level which ended yesterday after the session continued for the third week of the Dewan Rakyat sitting.

The winding up session of the bill by the ministries will begin this Monday for four days before it will be passed and debated at the committee level.

Among the interesting issues raised in the debate this week was on the party anti-hopping bill by Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin (BN-Kinabatangan) who urged all the MPs to support the bill.

Khalid Abd Samad (Pakatan Harapan-Shah Alam), who reacted to it, said the party-hopping moves among politicians resulted in political instability in the country.

The party anti-hopping bill was raised by Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said (BN-Pengerang) last September who requested that it be tabled soon.

Matters relating to Sabah and Sarawak also stole the spotlight, whereby, apart from issues on the 1963 Malaysia Agreement (MA63), matters pertaining to development and education in the two states were also raised by the MPs.

They included by Datuk Seri Rohani Abdul Karim (GPS-Batang Lupar) who urged the government to increase development projects in Sarawak following Indonesia's move to shift its capital to Kalimantan, which borders the state

Meanwhile, Datuk Wilson Ugak Anak Kumbong (GPS-Hulu Rajang) wanted efforts be made to ensure no students in Sarawak would be left out in the distribution of laptops by the federal government, while Alice Lau Kiong Yieng (PH-Lanang) raised the question on whether the government had fulfilled the target on the placement of 90 per cent Sarawak-born teachers in the state.

Other issues raised included on the withdrawal of the Employees Provident Fund (EPF), the Melaka and Sarawak state elections, vaccines and the proposal to make Kuala Lumpur an e-games hub.

During the Dewan Rakyat sitting this week, the house was also informed on the amendments to the Housing Development (Control and Licensing) Act 1966, which is expected to be tabled in the third quarter of 2022, and the development of local vaccines which have the advantage of obtaining halal certificate from the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (Jakim).

Apart from that, the house was also informed of a new financial assistance programme known as KPT IHSAN to be introduced to improve the existing financing facilities, especially to a larger target group.

Under the programme, financial assistance would be provided for students to purchase devices, pay examination and research fees, as well as settle their outstanding tuition fees.

The house was also told of a national energy policy being formulated to ensure the country's electricity supply can meet the demand of not only electric vehicle (EV) users, but also the industrial and household sectors,

The Dewan Rakyat sitting this week also saw the Finance Bill 2021, involving amendments to eight acts to implement the Budget 2022 measures tabled for the first reading.

-- BERNAMA