Franchise industry, Malaysian ombudsman status in focus at Parliament today

KUALA LUMPUR: The direction of the development of the franchise industry, the distribution of aid to flood-affected farmers and the status of the establishment of the Malaysian Ombudsman, are among topics that will be discussed on the last day of the Dewan Rakyat sitting today.

According to the Order Paper, Young Syefura Othman (PH-Bentong) will ask the Minister of Entrepreneur and Cooperatives Development to state the statistics of franchise entrepreneurs during the Minister's Question Time session.

She will also inquire on the direction of the development of the industry through coordination and regulation by the ministry (KUSKOP) on the international stage, given Malaysia's role as the Chair of the Asia Pacific Franchise Confederation (APFC) Annual Meeting.

Meanwhile, Datuk Idris Ahmad (PN-Bagan Serai) will pose a question to the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security on the aid distribution mechanism planned by the ministry to ensure that farmers affected by floods will receive assistance without delay.

Idris will also inquire on the measures to address potential issues of leakage or unfairness in the aid distribution process.

During the question for oral answer session, Teresa Kok Suh Sim (PH-Seputeh) will ask the Prime Minister to state the status of the establishment of the Malaysian Ombudsman and the timeline set for its implementation.

Lee Chean Chung (PH-Petaling Jaya) will ask the Minister of Education, among others, on the ministry's plans to make science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) learning more interesting for school students.

After the session, the Dewan Rakyat will continue with the presentation of the Malaysian National News Agency (BERNAMA) (Amendment) Bill 2024 and the Malaysian Media Council Bill 2024 for first reading by the Minister of Communications.

The meeting is also scheduled to present the Water Services Industry Bill (Amendment) 2024, the Sarawak Labor Ordinance (Amendment) Bill 2024 and the Data Sharing Bill 2024, for a second reading.

The Dewan Rakyat sitting ends today after running for 35 days starting from Oct 14.

--BERNAMA