“Dewan Negara should have the powers to debate bills and challenge the decisions of the Dewan Rakyat. It should not be a mere rubber stamp,” said the Chief Executive Officer of the Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs (Ideas), Wan Saiful Wan Jan.

He also said senators should ideally be elected by the people or appointed for their expertise.

He was commenting on the outcry over the National Security Council Act, which has come into force without the Yang diPertuan Agong’s assent.

Former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad recently apologised for pushing through the 1993 constitutional amendment that removed the need for the King’s assent on any bill before it can become a law.

Wan Saiful said the 1993 amendment had strengthened Malaysian democracy, but he added that there was still a need to ensure better checks and balances.

One of the ways of doing this, he told FMT, was to strengthen the Dewan Negara.

He also proposed the establishment of constitutional courts to provide an avenue for those seeking to challenge laws passed by Parliament. The role of these courts would be to determine whether a disputed law serves the spirit of the Federal Constitution.

The Dewan Negara has often been criticised as a rubber stamping institution. DAP strongman Lim Kit Siang once said it should be dissolved if it could not be reformed.