Kuala Lumpur: The Dewan Negara concluded its session after 12 days of sittings, during which 10 bills were passed. The session, which began on March 3, witnessed the Senate passing a range of bills under various ministries.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, among the significant bills passed were the Malaysian Media Council Bill 2024 and the BERNAMA (Amendment) Bill 2024 under the Communications Ministry. The Tunku Abdul Rahman Foundation Fund (Amendment) Bill 2025 under the Ministry of National Unity was also passed during this session.

Other notable bills included the Constitution (Amendment) Bill 2025 and the Parliamentary Services Bill 2025 under the Prime Minister’s Department. The Supplementary Supply Bill (2024) 2025 and the Employees Provident Fund (Amendment) Bill 2025 under the Finance Ministry were also approved. On the final day, the Senate passed the Fire Services (Amendment) Bill 2025 under the Ministry of Housing and Local Government, the Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage Bill 2025 under the Ministry of Economy, and the Government Service Efficiency Commitment Bill 2025 under the Prime Minister’s Department.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim attended the Dewan Negara for the second reading of the Constitution (Amendment) Bill 2025 on March 20. During his attendance, he addressed a supplementary question by Senator Datuk Mustafa Musa concerning the operational integrity and performance of Government-Linked Investment Companies (GLIC) and Government-Linked Companies (GLC) boards.

On March 11, the session saw the swearing-in of two new senators: Universiti Selangor (UNISEL) President and Vice-Chancellor Prof Emeritus Datuk Dr Mohammad Redzuan Othman and Selangor DAP Organising Secretary Tiew Way Keng, before Dewan Negara President Datuk Awang Bemee Awang Ali Basah.

A motion of thanks for the Royal Address was passed on March 13 after five days of debate involving 28 ministries. Key issues discussed included national unity, vernacular schools, artificial intelligence (AI), Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET), and the mixing of rice.

The official opening of the First Meeting of the Fourth Session of the 15th Parliament was graced by His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim, King of Malaysia, on February 3.

In his closing speech, Awang Bemee commended all senators for their active participation in debates and their efforts in scrutinising the bills presented from the Dewan Rakyat. He acknowledged the work of the Senate’s special select committees, which presented two reports on governance, integrity, and anti-corruption, as well as on law review. Awang Bemee also expressed gratitude and appreciation to several senators whose terms had ended, recognizing their contributions to the nation.