Kuala Lampur:First paragraph of the news story.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, the proposed membership of the Parliamentary Service Council will be evaluated during a committee meeting scheduled for October 13. This meeting represents the subsequent step in establishing the body responsible for overseeing the newly reinstated Parliamentary Service.

Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Law and Institutional Reform), Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said, highlighted that the council is one of two principal entities slated for creation under the Parliamentary Services Act 2025, alongside the Parliamentary Service itself. The council's membership is set to include the presiding officers of both Houses, the clerks of the Dewan Negara and Dewan Rakyat, as well as representatives from both government and opposition benches.

Azalina explained that public officers currently serving in Parliament would have the choice of either remaining under the Public Service Department or transitioning to the dedicated Parliamentary Service. She emphasized the importance of establishing a structure, which includes parliamentary draftsmen and other independent facilities, to enable Parliament to function autonomously from the federal Executive.

Azalina elaborated on her op-ed titled "Parliamentary Service: Leveraging Parliamentary Independence for the People," stressing that Parliament should serve all Malaysians, irrespective of which political coalition is in power. She underscored that Parliament should not exhibit bias towards the government or the opposition.

She expressed hope that the restored institutional independence would lead to an increase in Private Members' Bills and provide lawmakers with greater opportunities to influence legislation and policy discussions. The Parliamentary Services Act 2025 and related constitutional amendments, which took effect on October 1, reestablished a dedicated parliamentary service 34 years after the previous legislation was repealed in 1992.