The legislative Process in Parliament/The making of law in Parliament In Malaysia
The legislative Process in Parliament/The making of law in Parliament: The following are the parliamentary stages a Bill will have to go through before becoming law:
a)First Reading. This is a mere formality. In the case of a Government Bill, the Minister concerned presents the Bill to the House. The title of the Bill is read. There is no debate and no voting. The Bill is then circulated to all members.
b)Second Reading. This is a crucial stage. There is vigorous debate by the Opposition and the backbenchers on the merit and principles of the Bill. But no amendments are allowed. The minister concerned is allowed to reply to points raised on the floor. Voting takes place. If defeated, the Bill must be withdrawn. But this is an usual unless the government has miscalculated its support. All in all, there is some form of scrutiny at this stage but not in-depth.
The legislative Process in Parliament/The making of law in Parliament: The following are the parliamentary stages a Bill will have to go through before becoming law:
c) Committee Stage. This is often called the amendment stage. After the Second Reading, a Bill is committed either to a Committee of the Whole House or to a Select Committee. These committees may make such amendments as they think fit. A debate takes place. Votes are taken on each proposed amendments. If the Bill is considered by a Select Committee, outsiders may be invited to give evidence. Regrettably this democratic practice is rarely resorted to. Since Independence, only five Bills have been committed to Select Committees, among them the Law Reform (Marriage & Divorce) Bill in 1974 and the Dangerous Drugs (Special Preventive Measures) (Amendment) Bill in 1984. All in all, a detailed clause by clause analysis of the Bill takes place at this stage.
The legislative Process in Parliament/The making of law in Parliament: The following are the parliamentary stages a Bill will have to go through before becoming law:
a)First Reading. This is a mere formality. In the case of a Government Bill, the Minister concerned presents the Bill to the House. The title of the Bill is read. There is no debate and no voting. The Bill is then circulated to all members.
b)Second Reading. This is a crucial stage. There is vigorous debate by the Opposition and the backbenchers on the merit and principles of the Bill. But no amendments are allowed. The minister concerned is allowed to reply to points raised on the floor. Voting takes place. If defeated, the Bill must be withdrawn. But this is an usual unless the government has miscalculated its support. All in all, there is some form of scrutiny at this stage but not in-depth.
The legislative Process in Parliament/The making of law in Parliament: The following are the parliamentary stages a Bill will have to go through before becoming law:
c) Committee Stage. This is often called the amendment stage. After the Second Reading, a Bill is committed either to a Committee of the Whole House or to a Select Committee. These committees may make such amendments as they think fit. A debate takes place. Votes are taken on each proposed amendments. If the Bill is considered by a Select Committee, outsiders may be invited to give evidence. Regrettably this democratic practice is rarely resorted to. Since Independence, only five Bills have been committed to Select Committees, among them the Law Reform (Marriage & Divorce) Bill in 1974 and the Dangerous Drugs (Special Preventive Measures) (Amendment) Bill in 1984. All in all, a detailed clause by clause analysis of the Bill takes place at this stage.
The legislative Process in Parliament/The making of law in Parliament: The following are the parliamentary stages a Bill will have to go through before becoming law: