What’s in Store for Malaysia’s House? Anticipating Parliament’s July Sitting

MALAYSIA STUDIES PROGRAMME WEBINAR

About the Webinar

Malaysia’s next parliamentary sitting, slated to start on 13 July 2020, is effectively the first of the Perikatan Nasional government since the ruling coalition took power over four months ago. The one-day, no-debate session of 18 May forestalled the possibility of a no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin, but also precluded the Dewan Rakyat and Dewan Negara from their key roles in passing legislation and deliberating issues of national importance. The impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, mitigating measures and economic recovery efforts warrant transparent and vigorous debate. Other contentious developments in recent months, notably partisan appointments to government-linked companies and seeming regression in the fight against corruption, merit the attention of Malaysia’s elected wakil rakyat. At the same time, the now ‘Pakatan-plus’ opposition has also been embroiled in internal strife.

Continuing economic distress and political affairs heighten anticipation of the House’s upcoming session. Will proceedings settle the nagging uncertainties over leadership and cohesion of both the government and opposition coalitions? Will parliament proceed with order and purpose, debating resolutions and subjecting the executive to proper check and balance? What policy and legislative matters will be brought to the floor? In this webinar, our speakers will unpack the outlook for parliament, the legislative and policy priorities of Perikatan and Pakatan-plus, and the political dynamics of both coalitions.

About the Speakers

Senator Wan Ahmad Fayhsal Wan Ahmad Kamal is Malaysia’s Deputy Minister of Youth and Sports, and a member of Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (BERSATU). Prior to his appointments to the Senate and to Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin’s Cabinet on 10-11 March 2020, he was Special Functions Officer to the former Minister of Youth and Sports, Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman. Before joining politics, he was a senior executive with the Bumiputera development agency TERAJU, a fellow at Putra Business School, and a strategic planning executive at PETRONAS. He completed a Master of Arts in Geopolitics, Territory and Security at King’s College London under a Khazanah Global Scholarship, and a Bachelor of Science in chemical engineering at Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS.

Dr Ong Kian Ming is the Member of Parliament for Bangi (since May 2018) and Assistant National Director for Political Education for the Democratic Action Party (DAP). He was formerly the Member of Parliament for Serdang (from May 2013 to April 2018). He was the Deputy Minister of International Trade and Industry (MITI) from July 2018 to February 2020. He was a former Fulbright Scholar and holds a PhD in Political Science from Duke University, an MPhil in Economics from the University of Cambridge and a BSc in Economics from the London School of Economics. Prior to his political life, he was a lecturer at UCSI University, a policy researcher, and a consultant with the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) in the Kuala Lumpur office.

Registration

This webinar will be delivered online entirely. You can join the webinar at the specified date and time using devices (computer, phone, or tablet) with internet connection.

Please register here to receive your unique link for joining the webinar.

Limited spaces only, register early to avoid disappointment.

To join the webinar,
1. Install the Zoom client onto your computer or download the app on your mobile device.
2. Set up a Zoom account, using the following link: https://zoom.us/signup
3. Click on the unique link in your email.

For the best experience, please mute your microphone. If you have questions for the panellists, please key in your questions via the Q&A, stating your name and affiliation. The moderator will field them to the panellist during the Q&A session.

Date

Jul 08 2020
Expired!

Time

10:00 am - 11:30 am

Location

Webinar