TWO government MPs along with two opposition lawmakers were appointed to the Parliamentary Services Council after the Dewan Rakyat unanimously approved a motion proposed by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim today.
The appointments were made under Section 3(2)(f) of the Parliamentary Services Act 2025 (Act 869), which came into force on Oct 1, restoring a dedicated parliamentary service 34 years after the previous law was repealed in 1992.
The government representatives are Bukit Gelugor MP Ramkarpal Singh and Simpang Renggam MP Datuk Seri Hasni Mohammad, while the opposition representatives are Beluran MP Datuk Seri Dr Ronald Kiandee and Kota Bharu MP Datuk Seri Takiyuddin Hassan.
Anwar said the Select Committee had agreed on the four nominations at its meeting on Oct 13 before submitting them to the Dewan Rakyat for approval.
The council is one of two key entities to be established under the Act, alongside the Parliamentary Service itself.
Its membership also includes the Speakers of both Houses and the Secretaries of the Dewan Negara and Dewan Rakyat, alongside representatives from the government and opposition blocs.
The legislation is intended to give Parliament greater autonomy over its own administration and affairs, strengthening its institutional independence and role in Malaysia’s parliamentary democracy.
Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said had previously described the council as a central component of the new framework.
The Act and related amendments to the Federal Constitution took effect on Oct 1, marking the return of a dedicated parliamentary service following the repeal of the earlier legislation in 1992.
Mule Account Detection Rises 149% Since National Fraud Portal Launch
Earlier, Anwar said detection of mule accounts by financial institutions has increased by 149 per cent since the National Fraud Portal (NFP) was introduced in April 2024.
He said action had been taken against more than 9,600 mule accounts as at December last year.
Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) is strengthening cooperation with the National Scam Response Centre (NSRC) through the NFP to accelerate the tracing of stolen funds, identify mule accounts and facilitate information-sharing with enforcement agencies, he said.
“Improvements are being implemented to enhance fraud detection and prevention capabilities, in line with the constantly evolving tactics of financial crime syndicates,” Anwar said in a written parliamentary reply.
Anwar, who is also Finance Minister, told the Dewan Rakyat on Wednesday that financial institutions that breached regulatory requirements could face prosecution, compounds, administrative financial penalties or warning letters, depending on the severity of their non-compliance.
He said BNM imposed regulatory requirements on banks, digital banks and e-wallet operators to prevent their services from being exploited for financial crimes.
Financial institutions are also required to identify suspicious transactions, report accounts suspected of being used as mule accounts and take immediate action to block fund transfers in accordance with established standard operating procedures.
The measures form part of efforts to strengthen the financial system’s ability to detect suspicious activity, disrupt the movement of illicit funds and respond to increasingly sophisticated fraud schemes. - October 14, 2026