KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian Parliament is set to discuss key issues today, including the direction of the franchise industry, aid distribution for flood-affected farmers, and the status of the Malaysian Ombudsman establishment, as the Dewan Rakyat concludes its 35-day sitting.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, Young Syefura Othman, representing the Bentong constituency, will question the Minister of Entrepreneur and Cooperatives Development for statistics on franchise entrepreneurs during the Minister’s Question Time. She seeks clarification on the industry’s development direction, highlighting Malaysia’s role as the Chair of the Asia Pacific Franchise Confederation Annual Meeting.

Meanwhile, Datuk Idris Ahmad from Bagan Serai will address the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security regarding mechanisms to ensure timely aid distribution to flood-affected farmers, emphasizing the need to prevent any leakage or unfairness in the process.

During the oral answer session, Teresa Kok Suh Sim of Seputeh will in
quire about the timeline for the establishment of the Malaysian Ombudsman from the Prime Minister. Lee Chean Chung of Petaling Jaya plans to question the Minister of Education on strategies to enhance the appeal of STEM education for students.

Following these discussions, the Dewan Rakyat will proceed with the first reading of the Malaysian National News Agency (Amendment) Bill 2024 and the Malaysian Media Council Bill 2024, presented by the Minister of Communications. The session will also include the second reading of the Water Services Industry Bill (Amendment) 2024, the Sarawak Labor Ordinance (Amendment) Bill 2024, and the Data Sharing Bill 2024.

The sitting concludes today after commencing on October 14.