Three ministers will present GISB reports to the House of Representatives on Tuesday

PENGERANG: Three ministers will present documents on the issue of GISB Holdings Sdn Bhd (GISB) on the second day of the Dewan Rakyat meeting on Tuesday.

The ministers are Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Religious Affairs) Datuk Dr. Mohd Na’im Mokhtar; Home Affairs Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail, and Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri.

Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reforms) Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said said after the presentations that the debate would be opened to all government and opposition members of Parliament.

She said the Cabinet had approved the presentations of the three ministers.

“There is no Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) yet to investigate the GISB issue; we will let the MPs debate on Tuesday. In the first session, the Minister of Religious Affairs will give a presentation, followed by the Minister of Home Affairs and the Women, Families and Minister of Community Development.

“Then we will open the debate to MPs; some may wish to give their opinions or suggestions as it is important on behalf of the government that the truth is communicated to the public.

‘I believe there are still questions among the public about why, despite many reports, the action has been slow and quiet.

“I cannot answer because I am not responsible for this matter, but fortunately the three ministers will explain what happened and what the government is currently doing.

“For example, the Minister of Religious Affairs can give a presentation from the aspect of faith, the Minister of the Interior can address legal violations, specifying which sections outside the Criminal Code may be involved, and the Minister of Social Affairs can speak on the assistance provided to victims and their understanding of the issues,” she said at a press conference today after officiating the Legal Literacy Carnival at Dewan Kejora in Bandar Penawar.

Azalina said the need for an RCI would be determined after the parliamentary debate. She added that the debate on the GISB issue was crucial and that MPs were the voice of the people.

“I read comments on social media that seemed to imply that the government was overreaching on the GISB issue.

“I hope that all parliamentarians will give their opinions, views and suggestions. The duration of the debate will depend on the speaker. I also want the public to listen to this debate at 11am and it will continue into the afternoon,” she added.

Regarding the children rescued from care homes allegedly linked to GISB, Azalina said the Sexual Offenses Against Children Act 2017 was sufficient to address the situation. However, the application of Article 19 of the law had not been used effectively.

“In my opinion, the laws on child sex crimes, including the articles on children’s testimony in court, are adequate; the issue now is its application.

“In this regard, Section 19 serves as the primary application for failure to report, where individuals who fail to report commit an offense under the Child Abuse Act, and that is before other acts are considered,” she said.

Earlier, Saifuddin said he would present a ministerial statement on GlSB in the upcoming Dewan Rakyat session.

The ministerial statement, he said, would focus on police investigations into the company and will be tabled ahead of the 2025 budget on October 18 so MPs can debate the issue.

In Op Global, a major operation carried out by authorities on September 11, 402 minors aged 1 to 17 were rescued from alleged exploitation in 20 care homes in Selangor and Negri Sembilan, allegedly linked to GISB. The total number of children rescued now stood at 625.

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