ISKANDAR PUTERI, May 7 — A proposed amendment to the Johor constitution allowing the appointment of five unelected state assemblymen is aimed at strengthening the legislative institution, Menteri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi said today.
He said the move is intended to broaden the role of the state assembly by bringing in individuals with specialised expertise and experience to contribute to policymaking.
“The proposal is not purely political, but it provides space for individuals with certain expertise and extensive experience to contribute to the state’s development.
“The appointment of the unelected assemblymen will enable voices from various sectors, including economy, education, technology, youth, women and civil society, to be brought up in the state assembly sittings.
“With that, the state government sees the need to strengthen the state assembly’s institution by having individuals with expertise and experience in certain fields to assist in the process,” he said when tabling the Bill at the Johor state legislative assembly at Bangunan Sultan Ismail in Kota Iskandar here.
Onn Hafiz, who is the Machap assemblyman, said the addition of the appointed assemblymen was also to ensure that views of groups not represented through elections would be given due attention.
He explained that the appointment of the five unelected assemblymen would be made in accordance with the law’s provisions and subject to certain conditions that would be detailed by the state government.
“The same approach has been implemented in several other states, including Pahang, Terengganu and Sabah, where these assemblymen assist in increasing the effectiveness of debates and inclusive policies,” he said.
The menteri besar also proposed an amendment to Part Two in Article 15 of the Johor state constitution 1895 with the phrase ‘not exceeding five appointed members.’
He said this will increase the number of Johor assembly seats from the present 56 to 61.
“These appointed assemblymen must be individuals of calibre to improve the quality of debates and also the state government’s policy formulation for the well-being of the people,” he said.
The Johor legislative assembly today approved a Bill to amend the state constitution to appoint five unelected assemblymen.
The decision was made after receiving two-thirds vote involving 40 of the 56 assemblymen.
Johor assembly Speaker Datuk Mohd Puad Zarkashi announced that the appointment was based on the provisions under the state constitution enactment amendment.
This aims to expand the composition of the Johor state assembly by appointing unelected assemblymen after similar appointments were made in Pahang, Terengganu and Sabah.
Earlier this week, several Pakatan Harapan, Perikatan Nasional and Muda politicians questioned the proposed Bill to amend the state constitution to allow for the appointment of unelected assemblymen.
They questioned the need for the five assemblymen and added that the proposed Bill lacked clarity and posed a challenge to the established democratic process.
