Hannah Yeoh to push for new law to make Selangor legislature more independent
(TMI) – The DAP’s Hannah Yeoh will seek to make the Selangor state assembly more independent from the state government by pushing for a new law, Sin Chew Daily reported today.
Yeoh, 34, who was recently named the new Selangor Speaker, said one of her main tasks after coming into office would be to get the Selangor Legislative Assembly Service Commission Enactment (Selesa) 2009 passed.
After she was named to the post on May 30, her predecessor Datuk Teng Chang Khim said that the previous state assembly had failed to pass the enactment owing to “some obstacles”.
Teng reportedly said the Selangor administration’s executive committee (exco) had been an obstacle to the passing of the law, with The Star quoting him as saying: “Now that I’m in the exco, I will get rid of these obstacles.”
In an exclusive interview with Sin Chew, Yeoh explained that the new enactment will be instrumental in implementing the separation of powers in the Selangor government and further enhance the state assembly’s role and effectiveness.
Selesa will improve the separation of powers between the three arms of the Selangor government — the executive, the legislature and the judiciary.
The proposed law would see the setting up of a new Legislative Assembly Service Commission which would manage the state assembly — including its jurisdiction, finances and staff — independently of the state government’s executive arm.
The commission will then be headed by the Speaker and will include the Selangor mentri besar, the state opposition leader as well as between five and six state lawmakers.
Yeoh told Sin Chew that she will also continue carrying out three of Teng’s previous initiatives, namely the live airing of the Selangor state assembly proceedings, improving the state assemblymen’s welfare and the Selangor Select Committee on Competency, Accountability and Transparency (Selcat).
Selcat had conducted public inquiries on a few matters, including the alleged sand mining theft in the state as well as two independent companies that had been awarded a RM180 million loan by the Selangor Agricultural Development Corporation.
According to Sin Chew, Yeoh said she will be fair to state assemblymen from political rival Barisan Nasional (BN) and give them sufficient time to speak during debates.
