BY SARAH HAFIZAH CHANDRA & GOH PEI PEI
KUCHING: There will be no Bill to amend the Native Courts Ordinance at this upcoming State Legislative Assembly (DUN) sitting.
This was confirmed by DUN Speaker Tan Sri Datuk Amar Mohammad Asfia Awang Nasar, who was referring to a recent statement by Deputy Minister of Youth, Sports, and Entreprenuer Development and Layar assemblyman Datuk Gerald Rentap Jabu.
“To date, neither the secretary of the Dewan nor I have received a notification to table a Bill to amend the Native Courts Ordinance from the minister concerned, who is also the Kakus assemblyman, Datuk John Sikie Tayai,” he said.
He said this during a press conference after a pre-council meeting at the Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) headquarters here today (May 13).
Mohd Asfia cited Standing Order 44 to be read with Standing Order 24(1) and (2): “A minister or deputy minister may, after at least one day’s notice, present a Bill without an order of the Dewan for its introduction, and when a Bill is so presented, the title of the Bill shall then be read by the secretary at the Table and the Bill shall then be deemed to have been read the first time and shall stand for second reading at the same or subsequent sitting of the Dewan.”
Standing Order 24(1) states that where any Standing Order (or according to the practice of the Dewan) notice is required, such notice shall be sent to the secretary in writing during the normal office hours, whereas Standing Order 24(2) states every such notice shall be signed.
“There is no Bill to amend the Native Courts Ordinance at this coming sitting, and the necessity of liberating and elaborating on its content therefore does not arise,” he explained.
Earlier, Rentap said a Bill to amend the Native Courts Ordinance is among the new Bills to be tabled in next week’s DUN sitting, and the Bill will be tabled by Minister in the Premier’s Department Datuk John Sikie Tayai.
