Kuala Lumpur (VNA) – Malaysia's 15th Parliament successfully passed 26 bills during its third session, which ran from October 14 to December 12.
Key among these was the 2025 Supply Bill, also known as the 2025 Budget, totaling a record 421 billion MYR ( 94.5 billion USD). The budget was approved on December 3 after seven weeks of deliberations and marks the final budget under the 12th Malaysia Plan (2021-2025) before transitioning to the 13th Malaysia Plan.
Others include the Communications and Multimedia (Amendment) Bill 2024, the Online Safety Bill 2024, the Data Sharing Bill 2024, the Penal Code (Amendment) (No.2) Bill 2024, the Criminal Procedure Code (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2024, National Wages Consultation Council (Amendment) Bill 2024 and the Water Services Industry (Amendment) Bill 2024.
However, the Communications and Multimedia Commission Bill was postponed for review by special committees on infrastructure, communications, and human rights. Similarly, the Federal Territories Mufti Bill awaits a second reading in the next meeting.
Two new bills were introduced during the session, including the Malaysian Media Council Bill, which aims to establish a self-regulatory media body, and the Bernama Amendment Bill to enhance inclusivity in the media sector. Both will be revisited in future sessions.
This session also marked a milestone in institutional reform, with special select committee chairs presenting their findings directly for the first time./.
