KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 14 — The government’s willingness to amend relevant laws to combat scam syndicates is among the highlights of the first day of the Third Meeting of the Third Session of the 15th Parliament today.

According to the Order Papers published on the Parliament website, Khoo Poay Tiong (PH-Kota Melaka) will pose the question to the Prime Minister during the oral question and answer session.

Khoo wants to know whether amendments to the relevant laws will be made by the government to address scam syndicates, which are now targeting company accounts as mule accounts for their illegal activities, following the amendments made to the provisions under the Penal Code (Act 574) and the Criminal Procedure Code (Act 593).

Meanwhile, Datuk Seri Hamzah bin Zainudin (PN-Larut) is scheduled to ask the Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry about measures taken by the government to reduce dependency and broaden investment and trade strategies, to ensure that Malaysia’s economy remains resilient against the prolonged geopolitical tensions between Russia and Ukraine, as well as in the Middle East, which have now spread to surrounding countries.

Questions about the government’s commitment to balancing various development needs, while preserving forest reserves in Malaysia, will be posed by Datuk Muhammad Bakhtiar Wan Chik (PH-Balik Pulau) to the Minister of Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability.

Apart from that, Datuk Andi Muhammad Suryady Bandy (BN-Kalabakan) wants the Foreign Minister to state the government’s actions in dealing with the issue of sovereignty of Malaysia’s maritime territory in the waters of the South China Sea, considering the current conflict which is escalating, especially involving neighbouring country, the Philippines.

In the same session, P. Prabakaran (PH-Batu) will ask the Prime Minister to state the latest safety status and the actions to be taken, following the study on subsidence at Jalan Masjid India and other areas prone to similar issues.

The Dewan Rakyat sitting then continues with the presentation of two bills, namely the Water Services Industry (Amendment) Bill 2024 and the Commercial Vehicle Licensing Board (Amendment) Bill 2024, for the first reading.

The session will proceed with the continuation of the debate on the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases (Amendment) Bill 2024.

The bill, among other things, aims to insert a new section 14a into the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases Act 1988, to empower an authorised officer to order any person with an infectious disease to undergo isolation or surveillance.

The current Dewan Rakyat sitting will last for 35 days, until Dec 12. — Bernama