PETALING JAYA: The amendment to the dates of the First Meeting of the Fourth Term of the 14th Parliament to Sept 13 until Oct 12 was done to allow the new ministers and their deputies to familiarise themselves with their portfolios, says Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Parliament and Law) Datuk Seri Dr Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar.

       In a statement yesterday, he said that the 31 ministers and 38 of their deputies who had just taken their oaths at Istana Negara on Monday needed time to discharge their responsibilities, including identifying issues that need priority in each ministry for short and long-term planning to achieve the targeted objectives.

       Wan Junaidi added that the changes would also allow time for the ministers and deputies to prepare for their first Parliament meeting.

       The new Dewan Rakyat meeting will last for 17 days instead of 15 days, while Dewan Negara will sit for 14 days instead of 12 days from Oct 4 to Oct 21.