KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 2 (Bernama) -- Legal Aid Department (JBG) services will be expanded to Sabah’s east coast with the proposed establishment of two new branches in Sandakan and Tawau.
Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform) M. Kulasegaran said JBG was preparing a proposal paper for the new offices to be submitted to the Public Service Department (JPA) through the Prime Minister’s Department.
“The MADANI government is deeply committed to ensuring that access to justice, particularly legal aid as a basic right, is preserved. Therefore, JBG has identified the need to open branch offices in Sandakan and Tawau,” he said during the winding-up of the 13th Malaysia Plan (RMK13) debate for his ministry in the Dewan Negara today.
The proposal was raised by Senator Anna Bell Suziena Perian, who urged the government to set up JBG offices in Sabah’s east coast. Currently, JBG operates only one office in the region, namely in Kota Kinabalu.
Kulasegaran added that the “Justice on Wheels” (JOW) programme, introduced in 2024, would continue to be expanded nationwide with the addition of 11 new JOW vans this year, with an allocation of RM3 million.
“As of July 2025, JBG has conducted 50 JOW programmes across various states, including Sabah. In Sabah alone, services have reached areas such as Sandakan, Tawau, Lahad Datu, Pitas, Tongod, and Sipitang,” he said.
Meanwhile, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Religious Affairs) Datuk Dr Mohd Na’im Mokhtar said JAKIM would coordinate the development of an Islamic Application Validation System to ensure Islamic-related apps in the market were authentic, accurate and syariah-compliant.
He said the initiative was in response to a proposal by Senator Datuk Seri Dr Mujahid Yusof, who recently highlighted in the Dewan Negara the need to address challenges posed by Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the context of Islam.
“This proposal is highly significant and aligns with the MADANI Government’s aspirations for digital transformation. In fact, the Majma Fiqh Islami conference organised by Rabitah and JAKIM recently also gave special attention to AI-related issues in Islamic jurisprudence,” he said.
Mohd Na’im added that JAKIM would carefully examine the technical, legal, syariah and data preparedness aspects before the system was fully implemented.
Meanwhile, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Federal Territories) Datuk Seri Dr Zaliha Mustafa said the value management lab for the Kota MADANI project in Precinct 19, Putrajaya, had been completed.
She said the findings would be presented to the public-private partnership (PPP) steering committee before being tabled to the Cabinet for consideration.
“It is expected to be tabled in October 2025 as a Cabinet Memorandum from the Prime Minister’s Department, which is a prerequisite for all PPP or Private Finance Initiative (PFI) programmes.
“This high-density, integrated urban development concept will serve as the MADANI nucleus and will be replicated in other cities nationwide,” she said in response to a query from Senator Datuk Ros Suryati Alang on Kota MADANI, which is envisioned as a model smart and low-carbon city in ASEAN.
Dr Zaliha added that public transport links were also planned to connect Kota MADANI with Putrajaya’s main government precincts.
“The MADANI government is deeply committed to ensuring that access to justice, particularly legal aid as a basic right, is preserved. Therefore, JBG has identified the need to open branch offices in Sandakan and Tawau,” he said during the winding-up of the 13th Malaysia Plan (RMK13) debate for his ministry in the Dewan Negara today.
The proposal was raised by Senator Anna Bell Suziena Perian, who urged the government to set up JBG offices in Sabah’s east coast. Currently, JBG operates only one office in the region, namely in Kota Kinabalu.
Kulasegaran added that the “Justice on Wheels” (JOW) programme, introduced in 2024, would continue to be expanded nationwide with the addition of 11 new JOW vans this year, with an allocation of RM3 million.
“As of July 2025, JBG has conducted 50 JOW programmes across various states, including Sabah. In Sabah alone, services have reached areas such as Sandakan, Tawau, Lahad Datu, Pitas, Tongod, and Sipitang,” he said.
Meanwhile, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Religious Affairs) Datuk Dr Mohd Na’im Mokhtar said JAKIM would coordinate the development of an Islamic Application Validation System to ensure Islamic-related apps in the market were authentic, accurate and syariah-compliant.
He said the initiative was in response to a proposal by Senator Datuk Seri Dr Mujahid Yusof, who recently highlighted in the Dewan Negara the need to address challenges posed by Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the context of Islam.
“This proposal is highly significant and aligns with the MADANI Government’s aspirations for digital transformation. In fact, the Majma Fiqh Islami conference organised by Rabitah and JAKIM recently also gave special attention to AI-related issues in Islamic jurisprudence,” he said.
Mohd Na’im added that JAKIM would carefully examine the technical, legal, syariah and data preparedness aspects before the system was fully implemented.
Meanwhile, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Federal Territories) Datuk Seri Dr Zaliha Mustafa said the value management lab for the Kota MADANI project in Precinct 19, Putrajaya, had been completed.
She said the findings would be presented to the public-private partnership (PPP) steering committee before being tabled to the Cabinet for consideration.
“It is expected to be tabled in October 2025 as a Cabinet Memorandum from the Prime Minister’s Department, which is a prerequisite for all PPP or Private Finance Initiative (PFI) programmes.
“This high-density, integrated urban development concept will serve as the MADANI nucleus and will be replicated in other cities nationwide,” she said in response to a query from Senator Datuk Ros Suryati Alang on Kota MADANI, which is envisioned as a model smart and low-carbon city in ASEAN.
Dr Zaliha added that public transport links were also planned to connect Kota MADANI with Putrajaya’s main government precincts.