06-07-2025
Speaker on tomorrow's Assembly sitting
Published on: Sunday, July 06, 2025
Published on: Sun, Jul 06, 2025 Text Size: Kadzim revealed that the two-day meeting will also debate three Bills: the State Sales Tax (Amendment) Bill 2025, the Forest (Constitution of Forest Reserves Amendment) Bill 2025, and a new Bill, the Sabah Climate Change and Carbon Governance Bill 2025. Kota Kinabalu: The Second Meeting of the Fifth Session of the 16th Sabah State Legislative Assembly (DUN) set to begin Monday is expected to attract public attention. According to Speaker Datuk Seri Kadzim M. Yahya, this is due to many perceiving this session as the last before the dissolution.
Advertisement 'According to the constitution, there must be at least three sittings a year. What's fueling the public's excitement this time is that many assume or feel that this could be the final sitting before dissolution. 'In terms of preparations, nothing special. Everything is as usual, the questions too. This is just the second session in the annual calendar. 'If dissolution happens after this, then this will be the final sitting for this term. But if not, who knows, we may still have a third session to meet the constitutional requirement. Usually, the second session is for supplementary supply bills,' he said. Kadzim revealed that the two-day meeting will also debate three Bills: the State Sales Tax (Amendment) Bill 2025, the Forest (Constitution of Forest Reserves Amendment) Bill 2025, and a new Bill, the Sabah Climate Change and Carbon Governance Bill 2025. 'This time, in addition to the supply bill, we also have three other bills. One is on forestry, which is an amendment. Another is an amendment to the SST, and the third is a new law, a bill on Climate Change and Carbon Governance. 'It's not a special budget, just a supplementary provision for things that weren't budgeted in the previous budget but now need to be spent on, so we need the Assembly's approval for the additional expenditure,' he explained. On public perception that it is difficult to access the Assembly premises, Kadzim clarified that certain rules must be followed by observers in line with the gazettement of the Sabah State Assembly as a restricted and protected area, effective 2 September 2024. 'We're not forbidding or blocking people from coming, but we don't want the DUN to become like an event at SICC where people crowd in. 'So, if people say it's difficult to attend DUN sittings now, that's not entirely true. 'Many YBs, when there are people from their constituencies who want to observe the sitting, we allow it. But not for a full day or every day. If their representative is speaking and they want to come and follow it live, we allow that,' he stressed. He added that the entry rules for the Sabah State Assembly are no different from Parliament since both have been gazetted as restricted areas and therefore prioritise security measures. 'The SOPs and rules are basically the same, it's just that Parliament is bigger. It's even more difficult to get in there, all entrances are tightly controlled. At most, people can enter the lobby area, but not everyone can enter the chamber freely. 'The chamber is a place for debate and speeches. If there are too many people talking, it becomes disruptive. Some don't understand the rules of the House, like clapping is not allowed. The convention is to tap the table as a sign of appreciation, and that distinguishes it from concerts or launch events, which have their own norms. 'Just like in court, you can't clap there either. But no one complains about how hard it is to get into court,' he said jokingly. * Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel and Telegram for breaking news alerts and key updates! * Do you have access to the Daily Express e-paper and online exclusive news? Check out subscription plans available.
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