KUALA LUMPUR, May 17 — The tabling of the Eleventh Malaysia Plan (RMK11) will be the main focus of the public at the 13th Parliamentary Sitting which begins tomorrow.

This Thursday, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, who is also finance minister, will table the national five-year plan which begins in 2016 and ends in 2020.

The RMK11 is considered critical as it is the final transformation move in the effort to make Malaysia a developed high-income nation by 2020, and is expected to outline several high-impact projects.

According to the Parliament Malaysia portal, the debate on the RMK11 is expected to go on for six days, starting May 25, followed by replies from the ministers over three days from June 10.

The sitting this time would begin with the swearing-in ceremony tomorrow of two new Parliamentarians who were elected during the Rompin and Permatang Pauh parliamentary seat by-elections, namely Datuk Hasan Arifin (BN-Rompin) and Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail (PKR-Permatang Pauh).

Hasan succeeds Tan Sri Dr Jamaluddin Jarjis who died in a helicopter crash in Semenyih in April, while Wan Azizah takes over from husband, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim who was sentenced to five years’ jail in February for sodomising his former aide, seven years ago.

Wan Azizah was chosen by the opposition parties as Opposition Head at the Dewan Rakyat sitting, and this will be announced on the first day.

Meanwhile, eight bills will be read for the second time at the Dewan Rakyat sitting this time.

The Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants (Amendment) Bill 2015 is expected to draw a lot of attention, following an incident involving a boat ferrying 1,158 ethnic Rohingyas and Bangladeshis which illegally landed in Langkawi last Sunday.

Other bills which will also be tabled for the second reading are the Animal Welfare Bill 2015, Criminal Procedure Code (Amendment) Bill 2015 and the Dangerous Drugs (Amendment)(No.2) 2014.

According to Dewan Rakyat Secretary, Datuk Roosme Hamzah, a total of 1,425 oral questions and 545 written questions had been submitted for the sitting.

The sitting is expected to be held for 16 days, with adjournment for four days from June 1 to 4, for the Hari Gawai celebrations.

The sitting will resume on June 8 until 18 from Monday to Thursday, from 10am to 5.30pm. — Bernama