Bipartisan Select Committees Help Ease Tension Among MPs – Johari

PETALING JAYA, July 16 (Bernama) -- The establishment of 10 Dewan Rakyat Special Select Committees (JKPK) about two years ago is seen as helping to ease tensions among Members of Parliament, said Speaker Tan Sri Dr Johari Abdul.

He said this is because each of the select committees must include MPs from both sides of the aisle – government and opposition.

“Now I’ve set up 10 JKPKs with members from both sides. When you are a member of a select committee, whatever decision you make in that committee is not a decision of the opposition or the government. It’s together (a collective decision).

“At the very least, this helps reduce tension. If there is a wall dividing us, we break it down. And if we can’t, we lower it so we can still reach across,” he said.

He was speaking at a press conference after opening the World Public Relations Day (WPRD) 2025 programme at SEGi University here today.

The existing JKPKs include the Finance and Economy Committee; Health Committee; Domestic Trade, Entrepreneurship, Cost of Living and Agriculture Committee; Infrastructure, Transport and Communications Committee; and the Nation-Building, Education and Human Resource Development Committee.

Others are the Women, Children and Community Development Committee; Environment, Science and Plantation Committee; Security Committee; International Relations and International Trade Committee; and Human Rights, Elections and Institutional Reform Committee.

Johari said his office has also funded several seminars organised by the select committees in collaboration with local communities.

These include topics such as the “hybrid sado cattle” and groundwater, with an upcoming seminar to focus on public housing issues.

-- BERNAMA