G25 fully supports the joint press statement by civil society groups and institutional specialists dated 8 August on the proposal to establish a permanent parliamentary committee system in the House of Representatives.
The joint statement was issued in response to a statement by the House standing orders committee on 6 August proposing amendments to the standing orders before the House.
The Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department responsible for law and institutional reform, Azalina Othman Said, tabled the motion on 12 August. It was passed by the House through a majority voice vote to adopt these amendments.
We welcome the “Madani” (civil and trustworthy) government’s move, as outlined by the standing orders committee, to convert the current parliamentary special select committees into permanent committees with defined areas of oversight.
We agree that this move is a positive and long-overdue step towards strengthening parliamentary oversight, improving transparency, and enhancing the role of Parliament in holding the executive accountable.
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However, as the joint statement makes clear, the effectiveness of this reform will depend on closing several critical gaps in the proposal.
In particular, G25 shares the concern that the proposed framework leaves several important gaps that could undermine its effectiveness.
Limiting the system to just 10 permanent committees is unlikely to cover the full range of ministerial and cross-ministerial portfolios. This would overburden members and risk neglecting key policy areas.
The absence of a requirement for future governments to place all ministries and major public institutions under committee oversight could also result in serious blind spots. If ministerial roles change or new agencies are created without this requirement, some of them might escape proper oversight.
Additionally, vital agencies such as the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission are not explicitly included in the proposed structure, leaving them without this avenue of accountability.
To ensure meaningful legislative scrutiny, standing order 54(1) should be amended so that all bills are automatically referred to the relevant committee, except in rare, urgent situations.
Committee reports, likewise, should be debated and voted on in the main chamber, rather than relegated to the special chamber where ministers may not be obliged to respond.
The committees’ mandate should also include the review of annual and supplementary budget estimates. The committees must be equipped with clear powers to summon witnesses, compel the production of documents, and conduct public inquiries when required.
We echo the joint statement’s view that without these improvements, the good intentions of the reform risk being undermined.
Since our formation, G25 has consistently called for reforms to ensure governance relies on strong institutions guided by the rule of law – not on personalities or political goodwill.
We have always stood for building greater public trust in the legislative process through open debate, transparent decision-making, and evidence-based policymaking.
We also advocate that oversight mechanisms must be permanent, adequately resourced, and legally protected from arbitrary dismantling.
A robust permanent committee system directly addresses these principles by creating structured, ongoing scrutiny over laws, budgets and policies – regardless of which party forms the government.
A permanent committee system, if designed with sufficient scope, powers and resources, has the potential to transform Malaysia’s parliamentary culture and strengthen the checks and balances on our institutions. This is essential to building Malaysia’s democratic maturity.
G25 therefore urges all MPs to address the weaknesses in the current proposal, so that what is ultimately adopted is an effective, comprehensive and future-proof system – one that delivers real impact, lasting value and public confidence in our MPs. – G25
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