Penang passes water resources bill for holistic management
GEORGE TOWN: The Penang Legislative Assembly today passed the Penang Water Resources Bill 2025 to manage the state's water resources in a more integrated, holistic and sustainable manner.
The Bill was passed by a majority voice vote after being debated by six assemblymen from the government and opposition blocs.
When tabling the Bill earlier, State Infrastructure, Transport and Digital Committee chairman Zairil Khir Johari, said its introduction is a strategic move toward integrated management of water use, development and protection to enhance greater efficiency.
He explained that the new enactment is necessary to replace the Water Enactment of 1967, which is outdated and limited in scope, as it only grants authority through district officers and lacks the provisions required to meet current needs.
'In addition, there are gaps in existing federal laws, such as the Environmental Quality Act 1974, that hinder a comprehensive approach to addressing water pollution,' he said.
'With mounting pressure from population growth, rapid development and the effects of climate change, water management requires a more systematic, efficient approach backed by strong legal authority,' said Zairil.
He explained that the Bill would provide a solid legal foundation for stricter monitoring and enforcement, the integration of smart technologies in water management, and clearer definitions of the rights and responsibilities of various stakeholders in safeguarding water resources.
As such, he said the state government is confident that the Bill, comprising 61 clauses across 10 parts, will offer a clearer legal framework to govern the abstraction, use, conservation and quality of water resources on the island.
The assembly also passed the Penang Water Resources Board Bill 2025, along with two motions: the Special Report of the Committee on Standing Orders of the Penang Legislative Assembly, and the activation of the Select Committee on Federal-State Relations.
The first meeting of the third session of the 15th Penang State Legislative Assembly, which began on May 19, saw the submission of 75 oral questions, 769 written questions, and the tabling of two Bills and three motions.
The sitting was adjourned to a date to be determined later.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Star
2 days ago
- The Star
The moral case for GST
The road to a broad-based consumption tax in Malaysia has been long and tortuous, stretching back more than a decade before its brief life under Barisan Nasional (BN). In December 2009, the then-government first introduced the Goods and Services Tax (GST) Bill in Parliament, pledging that a uniform, 6% levy would replace the patchwork of Sales and Service Taxes (SST) then ranging from 5 to 15%. Despite initial plans to roll out GST by late 2011, fierce public resistance, fueled by fears of rising living costs and concerns about insufficient safeguards for low-income households, led to repeated postponements.
New Straits Times
2 days ago
- New Straits Times
UK MPs vote in favour of assisted dying law in historic step
LONDON: Britain took a historic step towards allowing euthanasia on Friday when MPs backed contentious legislation that would introduce assisted dying for terminally ill people. Lawmakers in the lower House of Commons voted 314 in favour to 291 to send the proposal to the upper House of Lords for further scrutiny following four hours of emotional debate. The outcome sparked celebrations among supporters gathered outside parliament who say legalised euthanasia will give people with an incurable illness dignity and choice at the end of their lives. But opponents attending a neighbouring counter-protest said they feared vulnerable people could be coerced into dying and urged lawmakers to focus on improving palliative care instead. The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill would allow assisted suicide in England and Wales for adults who have been given less than six months to live. They would have to be able to administer the life-ending substance themselves, and any patient's wish to die would have to be signed off by two doctors and a panel of experts. A change in the law would see Britain emulate several other countries in Europe and elsewhere that allow some form of assisted dying, including Belgium and the Netherlands. Labour MP Kim Leadbeater, who proposed the legislation, told Friday's so-called third reading debate that a law change would "offer a compassionate and safe choice" for terminally ill people. She said maintaining the status quo would mean more "heartbreaking stories" of "pain and trauma, suicide attempts, PTSD, lonely trips to Switzerland, (and) police investigations." But Vicky Foxcroft, also of Labour, said the proposal did not include adequate safeguards for disabled people. "We have to protect those people who are susceptible to coercion, who already feel like society doesn't value them, who often feel like a burden to the state, society and their family," she pleaded. Outside parliament, protesters waved placards with slogans including "Let us choose" and "Don't make doctors killers." David Walker, 82, said he supported changing the law because he saw his wife of 60 years suffer for three years at the end of her life. "That's why I'm here, because I can't help her anymore, but I can help other people who are going through the same thing, because if you have no quality of life, you have nothing," he told AFP. But Elizabeth Burden, a 52-year-old doctor, said she feared the legislation would open a "slippery slope" where those eligible for assisted dying expands. "Once we allow this, everything will slip down because dementia patients, all patients... are vulnerable," she told AFP. MPs backed the proposed legislation by 330 to 275 votes at an initial vote in parliament last November. Since then, the bill has undergone several changes, including applying a ban on adverts for assisted dying and allowing all health workers to opt out of helping someone end their life. MPs in the 650-seat parliament also added a safeguard which would prevent a person being eligible "solely as a result of voluntarily stopping eating or drinking," ruling out people with anorexia. Britain's medical community and Prime Minister Keir Starmer's top ministerial team are split on the proposed law change. His health and justice secretaries publicly oppose it. But in a YouGov poll of 2,003 adults, surveyed last month and published Thursday, 73 per cent of respondents backed an assisted dying law. MPs had backed an earlier version of the proposed legislation by 330 to 275 votes at an initial vote in parliament last November, before parliament introduced the changes. The House of Lords now needs to approve the legislation before the end of the current parliamentary year, likely in the autumn, or the bill will fail. If it passes and receives royal assent, it would still be four years before an assisted dying service was implemented. A government impact assessment published this month estimated that approximately 160 to 640 assisted deaths could take place in the first year, rising to a possible 4,500 in a decade. Assisted suicide currently carries a maximum prison sentence of 14 years in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Separate legislation is going through the devolved Scottish parliament. At the end of March, the Isle of Man became the first British territory to pass an assisted dying bill.
The Sun
2 days ago
- The Sun
Whistleblowers get protection if rules are followed: MACC
KUALA LUMPUR: Individuals who report information about misconduct directly to enforcement agencies and meet the prescribed criteria and conditions will be granted protection as informants or whistleblowers. Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Senior Director (Legal and Prosecution Division) Datuk Wan Shaharuddin Wan Ladin said this is an important aspect the public needs to understand, apart from not being able to disclose the information to the public. He said that although the Whistleblower Protection Act 2010 protects informants against improper retaliation, such protection is only applicable if reports are made through legal procedures to enforcement agencies such as the MACC, the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM) or relevant government agencies. 'There's a misconception that anyone with information about misconduct can automatically seek protection as a whistleblower. In reality, it's not that simple. 'A common misunderstanding is the belief that informants can publicly disclose information, for example, to the media or on social media, before officially applying for protection. This is incorrect,' he told Bernama. He said that in order to qualify for whistleblower protection, a report must also be made in good faith and not be driven by personal motives such as revenge or defamation. Additionally, the whistleblower must not be involved in the offence being reported, he added. Citing Section 11(1) of the Whistleblower Protection Act 2010, he said, protection can be revoked if the whistleblower is found to have participated in the misconduct they exposed. 'This provision is crucial to maintaining the integrity of whistleblowers and to prevent the misuse of protected status as a shield against offences they have committed,' he said. Wan Shaharuddin said that while the law provides legal protection, whistleblowers still face various challenges, including being labelled ass 'complainants' or 'traitors', fears of retaliation and discrimination, and a general lack of public understanding about the legal process for applying for protection. In efforts to encourage more individuals, especially civil servants, to report corruption cases, he said, the government has introduced cash incentives and official recognition for those who report corruption to the MACC since 2011. He shared that as of last year, 514 civil servants had received rewards totalling over RM1 million, with the highest individual reward amounting to RM100,000. In addition, Wan Shaharuddin said that to further enhance whistleblower protection, the government had tabled the Whistleblower Protection (Amendment) Bill 2025 in the Dewan Rakyat on March 6. 'The amendment aims to strengthen protection for whistleblowers who report misconduct, particularly in cases of corruption within both the public and private sectors. It is expected to provide more comprehensive protection to whistleblowers, including protection from harmful actions and immunity from civil or criminal action. 'This amendment is hoped to encourage more individuals to come forward to report misconduct without fear,' he said.
