‘Provision on passing of bills without royal assent stays’

KUALA LUMPUR: The government will not amend Article 66 (4A) of the Federal Constitution that allows bills to automatically become law in 30 days without the Yang diPertuan Agong’s assent.

Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said the government would not relook the provision as it had been amended three times since 1983.

He said the amendments were Constitution (Amendment) Act 1983, Constitution (Amendment) Act 1984 and Constitution (Amendment) Act 1994.

“The amendments dispel doubt in the power of Parliament to legislate laws and any notion that the king has absolute power over the country’s laws.

“The amendments were in line with the parliamentary democracy practised in this country, in which the power to make laws is the right of Parliament.

“Based on the principles of constitutional monarchy practised in this country, the Federal Constitution is the supreme law on which everything is based.”

Dr Mahathir was answering a question by Datuk Dr Ismail Mohamed Said (Barisan NasionalKuala Krau) during questionand-answer session at the Dewan Rakyat yesterday.

Ismail asked whether the government would relook and amend Article 66 (4A).

Dr Mahathir said the amendment must not be seen as something that had an adverse effect on Malay rulers, but one that upheld the principle of the supremacy of the people and the legislature acting as the voice of the people.

“The sovereignty of the rulers is upheld in the context of a constitutional monarchy,” he said.

In reply to an additional question by Datuk Seri Dr Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar (Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu-Santubong) on the suitability of the amendment in this era, Dr Mahathir said the voice of the people determined everything in a democratic nation.

At the same time, he said, any bill passed by both houses of Parliament needed to be looked at by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong so that His Highness would know more about the bill that had been agreed to by the people.

“If we give absolute power to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, then the people would lose power and we would not be a democratic country. I think we know that the people’s power cannot be set aside and abolished by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.”

In reply to an additional question by Datuk Takiyuddin Hasan (Pas-Kota Baru) on whether any state lacked amendments similar to Article 66 (4A), Dr Mahathir said there was no compulsion for state governments to make such amendments.

“This is related to the understanding and agreement between two powers. We imitated British law quite extensively. However, over there, the Queen does not reject the decisions of Parliament.

“This is a formality where what is passed by Parliament is agreed to on a whole,” he said.