MP13 Passed, Explanation By Ministers On Various Issues During Fifth Week Sitting Of Dewan Rakyat

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 22 (Bernama) -- The fifth week of the Dewan Rakyat sitting saw the 13th Malaysia Plan (MP13), which serves as the direction of the country's development for the period 2026 to 2030, passed by the august House.

The MP13 was passed after a four-day winding-up session by the ministries after the motion was debated for eight days, starting Aug 4, by 161 Members of Parliament.

During the winding-up session, various issues were addressed by the relevant ministers, including the death of Form One student Zara Qairina Mahathir and the Pilgrims Fund Board (Lembaga Tabung Haji - TH) rebranding project.

During the winding-up session by the Home Ministry, its minister, Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail, said the Zara Qairina case was the first to be charged under Section 507C(1) of the Penal Code (Amendment) Act 2025 for bullying.

He said the amendments made to sections 507B to 507G of the Penal Code strengthened the legal authority over the criminal act of bullying, and since the amendments were enforced and gazetted on July 11, the police have opened 11 investigation papers related to bullying

Apart from that, Saifuddin Nasution confirmed that the police will reopen the investigation into the death of a tahfiz student, Wan Ahmad Faris Wan Abdul Rahman, who is believed to have been murdered at a tahfiz school in Kok Lanas, Kelantan, in December 2013.

Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Religious Affairs), Datuk Dr Mohd Na'im Mokhtar, in his winding up, said that the company appointed for the TH rebranding project was a consortium of four local companies.

He said the consortium is made up of multi-racial professionals and the selection of the company was approved through TH's procurement methods and governance based on its expertise and capabilities in line with the requirements of the rebranding work.

At the same session, Communications Minister Datuk Fahmi Fadzil expressed concern over the tendency of netizens to accept 'round-the-clock' information shared on social media and reminded them to verify the information first so as not to become victims of fraud.

He said this was because the content disseminated on social media was unlike reports produced by mainstream media, which had high journalistic ethics and integrity

Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamid, in his winding up for the Ministry of Rural and Regional Development, expressed confidence that the establishment of the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Commission would create a TVET ecosystem that is more systematic, focused and responsive to the needs of the industry.

The highlight of the week also included Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's explanation that the allocations and assistance provided for the Indian community were channelled comprehensively through various ministries and not just focused through the Malaysian Indian Community Transformation Unit (MITRA).

According to Anwar, there were other programmes with huge allocations provided under various other ministries that benefited the community in the fields of education, housing and business, in addition to a specific annual allocation of RM100 million for MITRA.

This week's session also saw Pendang Member of Parliament Datuk Awang Hashim, of Perikatan Nasional (PN), ordered out of the chamber for 10 days starting Monday, for inciting a commotion and allegedly challenging a Member of Parliament to a fight last Wednesday.

Dewan Rakyat Speaker Tan Sri Johari Abdul issued the order based on Rule 44.2 of the Dewan Rakyat Standing Order after reviewing the video and audio recording evidence regarding the incident.

He described the action by the opposition representative as very inappropriate, with it happening during the presence of visitors, consisting of school students, in the House.

Meanwhile, four bills (RUU) were tabled for the first reading during the week, namely the National Registration (Amendment) Bill 2025, the Legal Aid and Public Defence Bill 2025, the Urban Renewal Bill 2025 and the Atomic Energy Licensing (Amendment) Bill 2025

-- BERNAMA