Dewan Negara
Senate Dewan Negara | |
---|---|
15th Parliament | |
Type | |
Type | |
History | |
Founded | 11 September 1959 |
Leadership | |
Deputy President | |
Secretary | Muhd Sujairi Abdullah since 22 February 2020 |
Structure | |
Seats | 70 |
Political groups | As of 18 March 2024[update] Government (53) BN (23)
PH (15)
GPS (6)
GRS (2)
PCS (1)
Independent (6)Opposition (10) PN (10)
Vacant (7) |
Committees | 4
|
Length of term | Up to 3 years, renewable once |
Meeting place | |
Dewan Negara Chamber Malaysian Houses of Parliament, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia | |
Website | |
Official website |
This article is part of a series on the |
Politics of Malaysia |
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The Dewan Negara (
The Dewan Negara usually reviews legislation that has been passed by the lower house, the
Originally, the Dewan Negara was meant to act as a check on the Dewan Rakyat and represent the interests of the various states, based on the role played by its counterpart in the United States. However, the original constitution, which provided for a majority of state-elected senators, has since been modified to make the vast majority of senators instead appointed by the Agong, thus theoretically providing an avenue for sombre, relatively non-partisan reconsideration of bills, more similar to the role of the British House of Lords.
Membership
Members of the Dewan Negara are referred to as "Senators" in English or "Ahli Dewan Negara" (literally "member of the Dewan Negara") in Malay and are accorded the honorific style of Yang Berhormat Senator. The term of office is three years and senators may only be re-appointed once, consecutively or non-consecutively.
Each of the 13 state legislative assemblies chooses two senators. The king appoints two senators for the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur, and one respectively for the Federal Territories of Labuan and Putrajaya on the advice of the prime minister.
Another 40 senators, regardless of their states, are appointed by the king, also on the prime minister's advice.[1] Federally appointed senators must have "rendered distinguished public service or have achieved distinction in the professions, commerce, industry, agriculture, cultural activities or social service or are representative of racial minorities or are capable of representing the interests of aborigines (Orang Asli)".[2]
The intent of the original
To qualify, a candidate must be a
Senators can be appointed to ministerial posts in the Cabinet by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong on the advice of the prime minister. However, the Dewan Negara never supplies the prime minister, as the prime minister must be a member of the Dewan Rakyat.
The Dewan Negara is not affected by the elections for the Dewan Rakyat, and senators continue to hold office despite the Dewan Rakyat's dissolution for an election.[2]
The Dewan Negara elects a president to preside over sittings of the Dewan Negara, ensure observance of the rules of the house, and interpret the Standing Orders of the house should they be disputed.[5] Should the president be absent, his deputy, the vice president, takes his place.[6]
Powers and procedure
The Dewan Negara may initiate legislation, except for financial and fiscal matters – a regulation directly from the Westminster system. It may also amend legislation, provided it does not deal with financial matters. Any proposed legislation must first be passed by the Dewan Rakyat. Then it is presented to the Dewan Negara in three readings. At the first, the legislation's proposer presents it to the assembly. At the second, the bill is debated. At the third, a vote is taken whether to pass or reject the bill. The Dewan Negara may not formally reject bills; it is only allowed to delay their passage by one month, or up to a year under certain circumstances. After the bill has passed or the requisite period is up, the bill is presented to the King for royal assent. If the King demurs or 30 days pass without royal assent, the bill is sent back to Parliament with a list of suggested amendments. The bill must then be reapproved by both houses of Parliament. If the King still does not grant royal assent 30 days after it is presented to him again, the bill automatically becomes law. It does not take effect, however, until it is published in the Government Gazette.[7]
Although members of Parliament typically have legal immunity when it comes to freedom of discussion, a
Current composition
As of June 2023, the Dewan Negara has 63 senators, most of them are appointed by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.[9]
References
- ^ ISBN 983-74-2024-3.
- ^ LCCN771294.
- ISBN 983-74-2518-0.
- ISBN 967-9940-45-4.
- ^ [1] Archived 14 February 2006 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ [2] Archived 14 February 2006 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Shuid & Yunus, p. 34.
- ISBN 0-19-588988-6.
- ^ "Portal Rasmi Parlimen Malaysia - Statistik Ahli Dewan Negara". www.parlimen.gov.my. Retrieved 13 October 2021.