More than 3,000 outdated laws must be reviewed to ensure legislation remains relevant, said Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Azalina Othman Said.
“For example, in digital technology, existing laws may not be applicable or require amendments to address more relevant situations,” she told the media after the ministers’ monthly assembly in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform) today.
Azalina said a list of the outdated laws, some of which were drafted before independence, will be compiled for the prime minister’s consideration for further action.
“We may need to prepare a cabinet paper, listing these outdated laws and propose establishing a special cabinet committee to review them.
“These laws affect all agencies and may also involve state, federal, and local governments,” she explained.
She emphasised that the review should engage various stakeholders, including the Attorney-General’s Chambers, the judiciary, and law faculties of universities with the expertise to evaluate the legislation.
Recently, Dewan Rakyat speaker Johari Abdul reportedly convened a meeting with the secretaries-general and legal advisers from each ministry to look into reviewing obsolete laws.
He said such a measure is necessary to assess laws that are no longer relevant or appropriate for the digital era and which need to be updated on par with current times.