The Malaysian Bar’s International Malaysia Law Conference (“IMLC”) 2026 took place from 27 to 30 Oct 2026 at MITEC, Kuala Lumpur.
By Aimi Zaman, Zaman & Associates
The session titled “Parliamentary Reform: Ensuring the Dewan Rakyat (House of Representatives) Serves Its Core Constitutional Functions” examined the core constitutional functions of the Dewan Rakyat in light of the coming into effect of the Parliamentary Service Act 2025 on 1 Oct 2026. The session was moderated by Sonia Liew Yee Aun, Co-Deputy Chairperson of the Bar Council Constitutional Law and Human Rights Committee and Advocate and Solicitor of Y A Liew & Partners.
The panel of speakers brought considerable experience and knowledge to the topic. Tan Sri Dato’ Mohamad Ariff b Mohd Yusof is a Malaysian lawyer and former Judge of the Court of Appeal. He also served as Speaker of the Dewan Rakyat between July 2018 and July 2020. The Honourable William Leong Jee Keen is a lawyer and has served as the Member of Parliament for Selayang since 2008. He is also currently the Chair of the Parliamentary Special Select Committee on Human Rights, Election and Institutional Reform. The Honourable Teresa Kok Suh Sim has served as the Member of Parliament for Seputeh since 1999. She is also currently the Deputy Chairperson of the Public Accounts Committee and a member of the Parliamentary Special Select Committee on Finance and Economy.
The session began with a brief introduction to the speakers by the moderator, who also reminded the attendees of the core constitutional functions of the Dewan Rakyat in enacting and amending laws, controlling expenditure and acting as a check and balance on the powers of the Executive.
The first speaker was Teresa Kok, who, using her presentation slides, took attendees through the major pieces of landmark legislation recently passed by Parliament in thematic order. Her first theme was “Institutional Reform, Governance and Accountability”, under which she highlighted, among others, the passing of the Abolition of Mandatory Death Penalty Act 2023, which finally abolished the mandatory death penalty for specified offences, as well as the passing of the Parliamentary Service Act 2025, which re-established a distinct Parliamentary Service and Parliamentary Service Council to strengthen the institutional autonomy of Parliament.
Her second theme was “Human Rights, Citizenship, Protection from Violence and Child Welfare”, under which she highlighted amendments to the Penal Code to criminalise stalking under section 507A and, following years of controversy, the passing of the Constitution (Amendment) Act 2025, which allowed equal citizenship transmission rights for Malaysian mothers whose children are born overseas. Her third theme was “Workers’ Rights, Public Health, Education and Consumer Protection”. She highlighted the passing of the Gig Workers Act 2025, which established statutory protections and dispute resolution mechanisms for workers in the gig economy. Teresa Kok also introduced the various Parliamentary Special Select Committees and the Public Accounts Committee, highlighting that information on the work done by these committees is readily available online. She concluded by highlighting the efforts made by the Dewan Rakyat to bring Parliament closer to the people through various forms of engagement.
In his segment, Tan Sri Dato’ Mohamad Ariff gave attendees a brief background to the Parliamentary Service Act 2025, tracing its origins to the version inherited from the British in 1963, its repeal in 1992 (including his account of the rather trivial reason that triggered the repeal) and its restoration in 2025. He underscored the importance of the 2025 Act, which finally reintroduced institutional autonomy for Parliament. He believed that the 2025 Act was timely, particularly in light of the weaknesses in Parliament that were exposed during the Covid-19 pandemic and the ensuing political upheavals.
He linked his segment with Teresa Kok’s presentation, stating that the good work done by Parliament through the passing of landmark legislation could only be amplified and sustained through the passing of the 2025 Act. Tan Sri Dato’ Mohamad Ariff concluded by reminding attendees that even a seemingly small change brought about by the 2025 Act could lead to significant improvements. As a simple example, he explained that the power to employ the right people to conduct research meant that Members of Parliament would be provided with the relevant and critical data to to facilitate informed and reasoned debates on various subject matters.
William Leong echoed the sentiments of Tan Sri Dato’ Mohamad Ariff, stating that the passing of the 2025 Act would put an end to the notion that Parliament was the handmaid of the Executive. He believed that the institutional autonomy granted by the 2025 Act would bring an end to the era of the “politician” and give rise to the “statesman”. The non-political nature of the employment framework would allow Members of Parliament to hire qualified persons to enhance their knowledge and substantive capabilities. William Leong concluded his segment on a hopeful note, expressing the possibility of seeing fewer theatrics in Parliament and more informed discussions and debates.
The key takeaways were further explored during the question-and-answer segment, which featured questions from the moderator and members of the audience on the further reforms needed. The speakers agreed that much more could and needed to be done, but that the need for reform had to be tempered by and balanced against the practical realities of the duties of Members of Parliament. On the changes they wished to see, Tan Sri Dato’ Mohamad Ariff was of the opinion that, as the active voice of the people, Members of Parliament needed a comprehensive Code of Conduct backed by meaningful penalties, particularly financial penalties. William Leong, for his part, wished to see a future workforce in the Dewan Rakyat that shared a common and comprehensive vision and mission of preserving and protecting the independence of Parliament, akin to that of the United Kingdom House of Commons. Teresa Kok, taking a more pragmatic view, added towards the end of the discussion that reforms were welcome, provided they did not impede the practical ability of the Members of Parliament to carry out their duties.
*This article reports on Breakout Session 10, Stream A: Law and Society.