Kuala lumpur: The Road Transport (Amendment) Bill 2026 was the only Bill passed during the first week of the Second Meeting of the Fifth Session of the 15th Parliament. Transport Minister Anthony Loke stated that the Bill introduces Section 42A, which allows enforcement action against illegal racing activities to be taken earlier, without the need to wait for an accident, injury, or death.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, this amendment closes an existing legal loophole that previously required authorities to prove elements of danger or actual consequences before taking action. Loke further mentioned that his ministry plans to table another amendment to the Road Transport Act (Act 333) later this year to introduce compensation for accident victims, or their families, caused by drink- or drug-impaired drivers, in addition to existing fines and jail terms.
Meanwhile, the Prison (Amendment) Bill 2026, which aims to provide for the use of electronic monitoring devices and the appointment of volunteers for prisoner rehabilitation programmes, has been postponed and referred back to the Parliamentary Select Committee for further review.
Several other bills were tabled for first reading during the same session. These include the Sexual Offences Against Children (Amendment) Act 2026, Competition (Amendment) Bill 2026, Competition Commission (Amendment) Bill 2026, and Cybercrime Act 2026, which seeks to repeal the Computer Crimes Act 1997 (Act 563).
Dewan Rakyat Speaker Tan Sri Johari Abdul confirmed that Larut MP Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin has been reinstated as opposition leader, effective June 18. He also confirmed the casual vacancies for the Pandan and Setiawangsa seats, following the resignation of Datuk Seri Rafizi Ramli and Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad on May 18. The Election Commission has been notified of the vacancies, as required under Article 54(1) of the Federal Constitution.
In addition, during the Minister's Question Time, which was scheduled for Tuesdays and Thursdays and originally set aside for Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, relevant ministers addressed the questions as Anwar was occupied with other commitments.
Several Parliamentary Select Committees were given time to present and debate their reports in the Dewan Rakyat, demonstrating Parliament's ongoing efforts to reinforce the committees' roles and functions. Key issues that dominated parliamentary debates and discussions this week included unemployment, the impact of the global energy supply crisis, online safety, and border security.
Human Resources Minister Datuk Seri R. Ramanan reported that 42,807 workers were retrenched between January and June 12, with company closures and downsizing identified as the main contributing factors. Economy Minister Akmal Nasrullah Mohd Nasir reassured that the labour market remains resilient, with job losses in June dropping 20 per cent from May, while the labour force participation rate stayed at 70.9 per cent.
On border security, Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail announced that the government has approved RM22 million to equip the Malaysia Border Control and Protection Agency with firearms and other essential equipment. Amid ongoing global supply disruptions, the Ministry of Plantation and Commodities said it will evaluate the viability of rolling out B50 biodiesel, as existing blending depots would require costly upgrades.
Communications Minister Datuk Fahmi Fadzil stated that the Child Protection Code and Risk Mitigation Code, effective June 1, require social media platforms to implement age-verification measures to protect digital users, particularly children. Non-compliant platforms face penalties of up to RM10 million under the Online Safety Act 2025.
The current Dewan Rakyat sitting is scheduled to run for 16 days, from June 22 to July 16.