PARLIAMENT Speaker Pandikar Amin Mulia has rejected Sungai Siput MP Dr Michael Jeyakumar's (right) private member's bill for a Social Inclusion Act to tackle serious marginalisation in Malaysia.
 
The bill was not even included in the House's order in the entire last Parliament session, even though it was tabled on Feb 24 this year. 
 
This, according to a letter from the speaker, was because the bill contravened Article 38 of the federal constitution, which is about the conference of rulers.

Dr Jeyakumar has since written to the speaker to state he did not see “how the Social Inclusion Act contravenes Article 38".

“I do not think it is fair to reject a bill which brings a novel approach, just because of some technical issues,” he said.

He said that Pandikar had met him on Tuesday, and notified him that he would study the bill again in due course before making another decision.

Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Abdul Wahid Omar previously said that the act will not be “needed and will not be considered”.

The act proposes the setting up of a Social Inclusion Commission to monitor anti-poverty policies undertaken by various ministries.