KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 16 — Debate on the Supply (Budget) Bill 2027 was the main focus of the Dewan Rakyat in the second week of the Third Meeting of the Fifth Session of the 15th Parliament, alongside current issues such as haze, health, education and school safety, as well as the cost of living.A total of 75 government and opposition Members of Parliament (MPs) debated the Supply Bill 2027 at the policy stage over four days, beginning Monday (Oct 12), following the tabling of Budget 2027 by Prime Minister and Finance Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim on October 9.During the debate, Sabah and Sarawak MPs welcomed the increase in interim special grants to the two states from RM600 million to RM1.5 billion, but called for the final formula to be settled and for clarification on Sabah’s entitlement to 40 per cent of the federal government’s net revenue derived from the state.Lim Guan Eng (PH-Bagan) proposed the permanent establishment of an Asean Special Task Force on Forest and Land Fires (Karhutla), involving Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines and Indonesia, to address the transboundary haze crisis. He also proposed legal action to claim compensation if Indonesia refused to accept the assistance.Welfare issues also came under the spotlight, with Datuk Khlir Mohd Nor (PN-Ketereh) urging the government to expedite the resolution of pension adjustments for Malaysian Armed Forces (MAF) veterans who retired before January 1, 2013.Ramkarpal Singh (PH-Bukit Gelugor) stressed that school safety and bullying must not be taken lightly. He proposed a special allocation to train teachers to identify early signs of emotional distress and potential violence among students, while ensuring that every school had an adequate number of counsellors and structured psychological assessment programmes for early intervention.During the oral question-and-answer session, Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad said the procurement of 400 new ambulances would enhance emergency response capabilities for critical cases. He said his ministry had also increased medical equipment supplies to address the effects of haze, including 841 adult AeroChamber inhaler spacers, 396 units for children and 576 nebulisers.Economy Minister Akmal Nasrullah Mohd Nasir said the government aimed to create 500,000 job opportunities through initiatives involving artificial intelligence (AI), digitalisation and automation, while expanding high-growth, high-value industries and strategic sectors.He said the government would also continue to stabilise the prices of essential goods through law enforcement, Jualan Rahmah Madani and Jualan Agro Madani, following the implementation of the RM2,000 minimum wage from June 2027.Housing and Local Government Minister Nga Kor Ming said 1,726 private housing projects involving 199,643 units, with a gross development value of RM158 billion, had been successfully revived as of August through the efforts of the Task Force on Sick and Abandoned Private Housing Projects.In the agriculture sector, Agriculture and Food Security Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Sabu said the government would look into targeted assistance for paddy farmers who suffered lower yields due to delays in fertiliser supplies, to identify those who had genuinely incurred losses.Meanwhile, the Minister’s Question Time (MQT) session on Tuesday, during which the Prime Minister is scheduled to answer questions raised by MPs, was answered by the relevant ministers as the Prime Minister was attending an event at Istana Negara.During the Special Chamber session, Deputy Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Minister Syed Ibrahim Syed Noh said the transboundary haze, which had affected the country’s air quality since August 8, was expected to gradually subside over the next two weeks due to changing wind patterns during the monsoon transition period.On Wednesday, the Dewan Rakyat also approved the appointment of four MPs — Ramkarpal Singh (PH-Bukit Gelugor), Datuk Seri Hasni Mohammad (BN-Simpang Renggam), Datuk Seri Dr Ronald Kiandee (PN-Beluran) and Datuk Seri Takiyuddin Hassan (PN-Kota Bharu) — to the Parliamentary Services Council through a voice vote without debate.The week’s sitting also saw the first reading of the Adoption (Amendment) Bill 2026 on Thursday, which, among other things, proposed amending Section 2 of Act 257 to redefine “child” by lowering the age limit from 21 to 18.According to the Dewan Rakyat calendar, the policy-stage debate on Budget 2027 runs from October 12 to 22, followed by a four-day winding-up session by the relevant ministers beginning October 26.The current Dewan Rakyat sitting will run for 37 days until December 8. — Bernama
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