He said the new law was needed because it was important for MPs to attend Parliament, as they were elected by the people to fulfil their duties.

Johari said, under the present laws, MPs who did not attend Parliament for six consecutive sessions would lose their seats.

“I am putting all MPs on notice. You were elected to attend Parliament, so you must attend the sittings.

“We are now waiting for the bill, which is likely to be tabled at the end of the third parliamentary session,” he told reporters during a visit to the Penang assembly today.

In March, law and institutional reform minister Azalina Othman Said had said the bill was “90% complete”.

She said several meaningful engagement sessions had been conducted throughout 2023 and 2024, involving key stakeholders such as the Dewan Rakyat speaker, the Senate president, the secretaries of both Houses, the public services commission, the public services department, the finance ministry, the Attorney-General’s Chambers as well as the legal affairs division under the Prime Minister’s Department.

Separately, Johari reminded all MPs to complete their health screenings by Nov 13 to ensure they are fit for office.

“This is to arrest health problems early. If people keep dying, then it makes things difficult, requiring by-elections,” he said.

He also said that since assuming the role of speaker two years ago, he had had full freedom to act independently without instructions from the prime minister.

Johari said it was acceptable for a speaker of any legislature or Parliament to be an ordinary member of any organisation, including political organisations, as long as he or she was not an office bearer.

“Being a member (of a party) is OK, just no positions,” he said. Johari remains a member of PKR.