Parliament is not above Constitution, says Azalina

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 5 — Azalina Othman Said, the Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Law and Institutional Reform), emphasized that Parliament's administrative independence must not be confused with immunity from accountability. In her article, titled "Parliamentary Service: Leveraging Parliamentary Independence for the People," she clarified that while Parliament operates with a degree of autonomy, its officials are still subject to professional standards and must manage public funds responsibly.

Azalina stressed that parliamentary independence does not imply freedom from constitutional constraints, stressing the importance of this distinction. She further explained that successful implementation of the Parliamentary Service Act 2025 (Act 869) should be assessed by how it enhances Parliament's professionalism, effectiveness, transparency, and trustworthiness, ultimately leading to better legislation and improved governance.

The minister highlighted that institutional autonomy should enable Parliament to conduct more thorough examinations of bills, policies, and public expenditures, benefiting the broader population. It was reiterated that Parliament is not affiliated with any government or political party, and its administration should remain objective and impartial to both the ruling and opposition parties.

Azalina stressed that a professional parliamentary service must maintain political neutrality and remain loyal to the institution of Parliament and the Constitution, not to any specific political coalition. The reforms introduced by Act 869 and the amendments to the Federal Constitution were set to take effect on Oct 1, over three decades after the previous Parliamentary Service Act 1963 was repealed in 1992.