Malaysia, French parliaments to form joint committee on democracy, human rights

KUALA LUMPUR: The Parliament of Malaysia and the Parliament of France intend to form a Joint Committee on Democracy and Human Rights to ensure the wellbeing of the people.

A statement issued by the Communication Division of the Parliament of Malaysia yesterday, stated that the matter was among the essence of the discussion during a courtesy call by a delegation from the French Parliament on Dewan Rakyat Speaker Tan Sri Azhar Azizan Harun and Yang di-Pertua Dewan Negara president Tan Sri Datuk Seri Dr Rais Yatim at the Parliament building here yesterday.

It said the courtesy call by the French delegation was aimed at further strengthening the existing bilateral relations between the Parliamentary institutions of the two countries.

An understanding was also reached by both parties to send and receive Parliamentary officials to study the administrative and legal systems of the respective Parliaments, it said.

The meeting, among others, also touched on the issue of sanctions and trade barriers imposed by France and the European Union on the palm oil market, as well as its importance as a source of income for the country.

They also discussed on having a dialogue for them to learn and better understand the legal system and the division of power between the federal and state governments in Malaysia, the role of Parliament as the pillar of democracy and voice of the people and the involvement of the young generation in politics and the country’s administration.

The six-member French delegation was led by the President of the French-Southeast Asian Parliament Friendship Group, Mathieu Darnaud. Also present were Dewan Rakyat Deputy Speaker Datuk Mohd Rashid Hasnon and two Dewan Negara Members, Senator Datuk Koh Nai Kwong and Senator Datuk Bobbey Ahfang Suan, as well as Dewan Negara Secretary Mohd Sujairi Abdullah and Dewan Rakyat Secretary Dr Nizam Mydin Bacha Mydin.