First Meeting Of Fifth Session Of 15th Parliament Ends, West Asia Among Top Concerns

KUALA LUMPUR, March 12 (Bernama) − The Dewan Rakyat and Dewan Negara sessions for the First Meeting of 2026, which ended today, saw the focus given to boosting the country’s economic resilience, fiscal management, and the government’s efforts to monitor the impact of the West Asia conflicts on the national and global economy.

The First Meeting of the Dewan Rakyat session took place from Jan 19, 2026, to March 3, 2026, while the Dewan Negara convened from Feb 19, 2026, until today.

During the session, the Senate passed the Capitation Grant Bill 2026, which amends the annual grant rates allocated to state governments based on each state's population.

Deputy Finance Minister Liew Chin Tong said the rate adjustment is aimed at providing optimal benefits, especially to less populous states with limited state revenue.

The Senate also passed the Supplementary Supply Bill (2025) 2026 for the first additional operating expenditure for 2025, amounting to RM8.4 billion.

Finance Minister II Datuk Seri Amir Hamzah Azizan said the entire allocation had been fully spent by 2025 without affecting the country’s fiscal deficit target, which remained at 3.8 per cent. 

He said that although the surge in global crude oil prices provides additional revenue for Petronas through dividends and taxes, it also increases the burden of fuel subsidies as long as the targeting mechanism has not been fully implemented.

As for the ringgit’s performance, the Ministry of Finance said the local note continues to be closely monitored by Bank Negara Malaysia to ensure currency value adjustments occur in an orderly manner.