The Ordinance establishes a body corporate known as the Sarawak Sovereign Wealth Future Fund Board, which acts as the custodian of a State fund designed to safeguard and invest monies for the sustainable growth of Sarawak’s wealth and for the benefit of future generations. The Fund is primarily financed through Initial and Annual Appropriations from the State Consolidated Fund, as authorized by resolutions of the Dewan Undangan Negeri. It is divided into two distinct parts: t

The Ordinance establishes the Sarawak Ombudsman as an independent body to ensure proper administration and combat maladministration within public service agencies. The Ombudsman consists of a Chief Ombudsman, a Deputy Chief Ombudsman, and three to five other members appointed by the Yang di-Pertua Negeri based on their expertise in fields like law, accountancy, or public administration. Its core functions include receiving and investigating complaints regarding inefficient or

The Ordinance creates the Sarawak Craft Council as the central authority for regulating and developing the state’s craft industry. The Council is composed of a Chairman, a Deputy Chairman, and five to nine members appointed for their knowledge and experience in craft development. Its primary functions are to promote traditional cultural expression, stimulate growth of the craft industry, and assist craftsmen in adopting modern production, marketing, and digital technologies.

The Ordinance aims to protect Sarawak’s environment by regulating greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and transitioning toward net zero carbon emissions by 2050. It primarily applies to ‘scheduled economic sectors’, specifically the Oil and Gas and Energy sectors. Business entities within these sectors are required to register and submit annual Carbon Emission Reports based on international standards. If an entity’s emissions exceed a determined carbon emission threshold, it must

This Ordinance is an extensive legislative framework intended to promote a circular economy and ensure the efficient management of sustainable resources and waste in Sarawak. This Ordinance establishes the Sustainable Resources and Wastes Management Authority, a body corporate with broad powers to regulate the segregation, collection, and treatment of resources. The Ordinance mandates that anyone producing or holding waste must segregate it according to regulations and requir

Enacted to formally dissolve the Infrastructure Development Trust Fund (Fund) and repeal the Infrastructure Development Trust Fund Ordinance, 1985 [Ord. No. 4/85] that established it. Under this Ordinance, all moneys remaining in the Fund are to be transferred into the State’s Consolidated Fund at the direction of the State Financial Secretary. Before the final dissolution, any outstanding management and administration expenses of the Fund are to be settled using the existing

Repealing the previous Dewan Undangan Negeri (Composition of Membership) Ordinance, 2014, this Ordinance makes fresh provisions regarding the size of the Sarawak State Legislative Assembly (Dewan Undangan Negeri). Recognizing a need to increase the number of elected members of the Dewan Undangan Negeri, the Ordinance raises the count of elected members from 82 to 99. DISCLAIMER: THE CONTENTS HEREIN ARE INTENDED FOR GENERAL INFORMATION ONLY AND NOT TO BE CONSTRUED AS LEGAL ADV

This Act, which has received Royal Assent on 6 May 2025, will be enforced once all 10 regulatory guidelines developed by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) are finalised. It aims to enhance online safety by addressing the spread of harmful content, fraud, and threats to public order. Key aspects include regulating social media and internet messaging services, requiring platforms to ensure safety, protect children under 13, and restrict access to har

The Legal Profession (Amendment) Act 2025, which amends the Legal Profession Act 1976, came into operation on 9 May 2025. One of the key changes is allowing law firms to be set up as Limited Liability Law Partnerships (in addition to the existing sole-proprietorship and partnership structures). “Limited Liability Partnership” means a limited liability partnership registered under the Limited Liability Partnerships Act 2012. Advocates and solicitors who wish to form a limited

This Act, with Royal Assent granted on 9 July 2025, provides for the establishment of the Parliamentary Service and the Parliamentary Service Council, administration of the Parliamentary Service and other related matters. It paves the way for Parliament to operate as an independent entity and to restore the autonomy of the Malaysian Parliament, strengthened the country’s democracy and reinforced the principle of separation of powers. The implementation of this Act will allow

Effective 1 May 2025, the Sarawak Labour Ordinance (Amendment) Act 2025 introduces sweeping reforms aimed at aligning Sarawak’s labour framework with the Employment Act 1955 applicable in Peninsular Malaysia. These changes represent a critical shift towards national uniformity in employment standards and bolster protections for the Sarawakian workforce. Area Amendment Summary Employee Coverage Removes previous salary cap; protections now apply to all employees, regardless of

Effective 11 July 2025, the Penal Code (Amendment) Act 2025 and Criminal Procedure Code (Amendment) Act 2025 have officially come into force. These amendments, passed in the Dewan Rakyat on 10 December 2024 and in the Dewan Negara on 16 December 2024, aim to address physical and cyber bullying, in line with the government’s efforts to modernise the criminal justice system. The key highlights are: Introduction of new provisions (Sections 507B to 507G) which specifically provi

It introduced new sections 424A, 424B, 424C and 424D into the Penal Code :- Section 424A seeks to provide for the offence and penalty for possession or control of any payment instrument of other person or any account of other person at a financial institution without lawful authority or lawful purpose. Section 424B seeks to provide for the offence and penalty for giving possession or control of a payment instrument or an account at a financial institution to any other person

This amendment aims to provide for a more effective administration of the estate of the bankrupts in Malaysia and to discharge the bankrupts within a short period of time for a better contribution to the development of the country’s economy. It seeks, amongst others, to strengthen the provisions relating to automatic discharge, to dispense with the mandatory requirement of holding the first meeting of creditors, to introduce the use of remote communication technology in the b

This new Act is meant to enhance the national cyber security by providing for the establishment of the National Cyber Security Committee, duties and powers of the Chief Executive of the National Cyber Security Agency, functions and duties of the national critical information infrastructure sector leads and national critical information infrastructure entities and the management of cyber security threats and cyber security incidents to national critical information infrastruct

It inserts into the Evidence Act 1950 the provisions relating to the admissibility of evidence of a child witness given upon oath or otherwise and to allow the Court to convict an accused on the basis of the uncorroborated evidence of a child witness given upon oath or otherwise. DISCLAIMER: THE CONTENTS HEREIN ARE INTENDED FOR GENERAL INFORMATION ONLY AND NOT TO BE CONSTRUED AS LEGAL ADVICE. SHOULD YOU HAVE FURTHER QUERIES AND/OR WOULD LIKE TO HAVE THE FULL ARTICLE, KINDLY C

It introduced new section 116D into the Criminal Procedure Code to empower a police officer not below the rank of Sergeant to seize or prohibit the dealing in, any money held or suspected to be held in any payment instrument or any account at a financial institution and to provide for connected matters. DISCLAIMER: THE CONTENTS HEREIN ARE INTENDED FOR GENERAL INFORMATION ONLY AND NOT TO BE CONSTRUED AS LEGAL ADVICE. SHOULD YOU HAVE FURTHER QUERIES AND/OR WOULD LIKE TO HAVE TH

It amends the Construction Industry Payment and Adjudication Act 2012 to provide for the change of name of Kuala Lumpur Regional Centre for Arbitration to Asian International Arbitration Centre and to be in line with the execution of the Supplementary Agreement between the Government of Malaysia and the Asian-African Legal Consultative Organization relating to the Asian International Arbitration Centre in Kuala Lumpur dated 20 February 2024. It introduced the definition of “P

The main purpose of the amendment to amend the Companies Act 2016 (CA 2016) is to improve the existing provisions relating to corporate governance framework, scheme of compromise or arrangement and corporate rescue mechanism. Besides, the amendment also seeks to introduce new provisions relating to the reporting framework and disclosure of beneficial ownership information. It introduced a new Division 8A into the CA 2016 relating to beneficial ownership of a company. Section

It amends the Arbitration Act 2005 (AA 2005) to enhance Malaysia’s standing amongst the global international arbitration community by improving the organisational structure of the Asian International Arbitration Centre in line with the execution of the Supplementary Agreement between the Government of Malaysia and the Asian-African Legal Consultative Organization relating to the Asian International Arbitration Centre in Kuala Lumpur dated 20 February 2024, by harmonizing the