KUALA LUMPUR: Gerakan president Datuk Dr Dominic Lau Hoe Chai (pic)and TalentCorp Malaysia director Datuk Nelson Renganathan took their oath as senators in the Dewan Negara here on Tuesday (Nov 23).

       Their appointments, effective today until Nov 22, 2024, have been consented by Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah.

       The swearing-in ceremony was held before Dewan Negara president Tan Sri Dr Rais Yatim.

       Dominic, 54, holds a doctorate degree in Engineering Business Management from Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM), while Nelson, 59, holds a Master in Business Administration from the University of Hull, United Kingdom and a former chairman of the Human Resources Development Fund (HRDF).

       At a media conference after the swearing-in ceremony, Dominic expressed his gratitude to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong for consenting to his appointment and promised to defend the rights of Malaysians regardless of their race, religion and cultural background.

       Meanwhile, Nelson thanked the MIC for nominating him for the senator post and expressed the hope of contributing in the field of private education, as well as to look into the interests of senior citizens.

       Earlier, Rais in his speech, said that he hoped Dominic and Nelson would shoulder their responsibilities as well as possible as the Dewan Negara was undergoing a transformation that required their active involvement and participation.

       He said three Select Committees with legislative powers, namely the Select Committee on Governance, Integrity and Anti-Corruption; People's Welfare Select Committee and Socio-Cultural, Communication and Education Select Committee, had been formed in the Dewan Rakyat.

       "These three committees are allies to the Parliament's transformation agenda, which, God willing, I am confident can be realised as early as next year with the commitment already given by the executive," he added. - Bernama