REVISION OF LAWS ACT 1968

LAWS OF MALAYSIA REPRINT Act 1 REVISION OF LAWS ACT 1968 As at 1 November 2023 PUBLISHED BY THE COMMISSIONER OF LAW REVISION, MALAYSIA UNDER THE AUTHORITY OF THE REVISION OF LAWS ACT 1968 2023 2 REVISION OF LAWS ACT 1968 Date of Royal Assent … … … 24 December 1968 Date of publication in the Gazette … … … 31 December 1968 English text to be authoritative … … … P.U. 540 of 1968 Latest amendment made by Act A1599 which came into operation on … … … 1 August 2019 Previous Reprints First Reprint … … … 1992 Second Reprint … … … 1999 Third Reprint … … … 2006 Fourth Reprint … … … 2008 Revision of Laws NOTE: The Notes in small print on unnumbered pages are not part of the authoritative text. They are intended to assist the reader by setting out chronologically, the major amendments to the Act and, for editorial reasons, are set out in the present format. Revision of Laws NOTES 3 LAWS OF MALAYSIA Act 1 REVISION OF LAWS ACT 1968 ARRANGEMENT OF SECTIONS Section 1. Short title 2. Interpretation 3. Appointment of Commissioner 4. Appointment of Committee 5. Printing of revised laws 6. Powers of the Commissioner 7. Method of compiling a revised law 8. Examination by the Committee 9. Revised law to comply with Committee’s opinion 10. Publication of revised law 11. Completion of revision of pre-1969 laws to be notified in Gazette 12. Saving of existing subsidiary legislation 13. Revision of subsidiary legislation 14. Reprint of laws 14a. Publication volume by volume 14b. Updating of reprints 14c. Delegation of powers 15. Rectification of formal errors 16. Reference to number of line in any law 17. Place of this Act in the Laws of Malaysia series 18. Repeal Revision of Laws NOTES Revision of Laws NOTES Section 1: The words “, and shall come into force on the first day of January, 1969” were omitted in the 1992 reprint. Section 2: 1. Definition of “law”: the original definition as it stood on 1 January 1969 read as follows: “law” means any written law relating to a matter with respect to which Parliament has power to make laws, but, except in sections 14 and 15, does not include this Act or any subsidiary legislation:”. The words “14, 15 and 16” substituted for the words “14 and 15” by P.U. (A) 107/1970, section 2, in force from 11 March 1970. P.U. (A) 107/1970 was repealed vide Act A43, section 10, in force from 30 April 1971. The words “14, 15 and 16” were reinserted by Act A43, section 2, in force from 30 April 1971. The words “or any subsidiary legislation” were deleted by Act A1061, section 2, in force from 1 October 1998. 5 LAWS OF MALAYSIA Act 1 REVISION OF LAWS ACT 1968 An Act to provide for the revision and reprinting of laws and subsidiary legislation. [Throughout Malaysia—1 January 1969] BE IT ENACTED by the Seri Paduka Baginda Yang di-Pertuan Agong with the advice and consent of the Dewan Negara and Dewan Rakyat in Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows: Short title 1. This Act may be cited as the Revision of Laws Act 1968. Interpretation 2. In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires— “Commissioner” means the Commissioner of Law Revision appointed under section 3; “Committee” means the Law Revision Committee appointed under section 4; “enactment” means a law as hereinafter defined or any part of such law; “law” means any written law relating to a matter with respect to which Parliament has power to make laws, but, except in sections 14, 15 and 16, does not include this Act; 6 Laws of Malaysia Act 1 “reprint” means the reprint edition of any law, or any volume of such laws, prepared and published pursuant to section 3; “revised law” means the revised edition of any law prepared and published pursuant to section 3. Appointment of Commissioner 3. The Yang di-Pertuan Agong shall appoint a Commissioner of Law Revision and a Deputy Commissioner of Law Revision to prepare and publish revised laws and reprints as the Commissioner deems it expedient. Appointment of Committee 4. (1) The Chief Justice of the Federal Court shall, by notification in the Gazette, appoint a Law Revision Committee comprising not less than five and not more than seven members from amongst the Judges and other persons who in his opinion are suitably qualified for the purpose of examining copies of revised laws in draft. (2) A member of the Committee shall hold office for a period of two years and shall be eligible for reappointment: Provided that the Chief Justice may terminate the appointment of a member, and any member may resign, at any time. (3) The Chief Registrar of the Federal Court shall be the Secretary to the Committee. Printing of revised laws 5. A revised law shall be printed by the Government Printer, or by such other printer as the Commissioner may in any particular case appoint for the purpose. Revision of Laws NOTES Section 2—(cont.) 2. Definition of “reprint”: inserted by Act A1061, section 2, in force from 1 October 1998. 3. Definition of “revised law”: inserted by Act A1061, section 2, in force from 1 October 1998. Section 3: 1. The original provision as it stood on 1 January 1969 read as follows: “3. The Yang di-Pertuan Agong shall, by notification in the Gazette, appoint a Commissioner of Law Revision for the purpose of revising the laws from time to time as the Commissioner deems it expedient.”. 2. The words “, by notification in the Gazette,” were deleted and the words “and a Deputy Commissioner of Law Revision to prepare and publish revised laws and reprints” were substituted for the words “for the purpose of revising the laws from time to time” by Act A1061, section 3, in force from 1 October 1998. Section 4: Subsection (1) and proviso to subsection (2): the words “Chief Justice” substituted for the words “Lord President” by Act A885, section 46, in force from 24 June 1994. Revision of Laws NOTES Subsection 6(1): 1. Subparagraph (i)(aa) was inserted by Act A1061, paragraph 4(a), in force from 1 October 1998. 2. The words “or part of a preamble” were inserted after the words “preamble” in paragraph (i)(b) by P.U. (A) 107/1970, paragraph 3(a), in force from 1 January 1969. P.U. (A) 107/1970 was repealed vide Act A43, section 10, in force from 30 April 1971. The words “or part of a preamble” were reinserted by Act A43, paragraph 3(a), in force from 30 April 1971. Revision of Laws 7 Powers of the Commissioner 6. (1) The Commissioner shall have the following powers: (i) to omit from any revised law— (a) any repealing enactment and any table or list of repealed enactments, whether contained in a schedule or otherwise; (aa) any provision, or part of a provision, in any law, which has ceased to have effect; (b) any preamble or part of a preamble to a law; (c) any introductory words of enactment in any law or provision thereof; (d) any enactment prescribing the date when a law or part thereof is to come into force or operation: Provided that the date on which the law or part thereof came into force or operation is inserted by the Commissioner in square brackets immediately following the long title of the revised law; (e) any amending enactment where the amendments affected thereby are embodied by the Commissioner in the law to which they relate or have been so embodied in any reprint printed in pursuance of any written law; (f) any enacting clause; (g) any part of a law which can more conveniently be included as subsidiary legislation; (h) any interpretation of any expression which is defined in identical or similar terms to those used in the definition of that term contained in the law applicable for the interpretation of the law after it has been revised; 8 Laws of Malaysia Act 1 (i) any provision referring to any matter for which provision is made in identical or similar terms in the law applicable for the interpretation of the law after it has been revised: Provided that the provisions relating to the construction of amending laws contained in the law applicable for the interpretation of laws shall apply to such omissions in the same way as if the provision omitted has been repealed; and (j) in the case of a law which refers to matters partly in the Federal List and— (A) partly in the Concurrent or State List; or (B) partly in the Concurrent List and partly in the State List, all provisions other than those which refer to matters in the Federal List: Provided that the powers contained in this paragraph shall not be exercised except after consultation with the State Attorney General or the Legal Adviser of the State affected; (ii) to arrange the sequence of revised laws and to give chapter, serial or other numbers thereto; (iii) to make such formal alterations to any law as are necessary or expedient for the purpose of securing uniformity of expression; or to bring the law into conformity with the provisions of the law applicable for the interpretation of the law after it has been revised; (iv) to adopt a convenient standard form in all revised laws for— (a) the interpretation section; (b) any penal section; (c) any section giving power to make subsidiary legislation; Revision of Laws NOTES Revision of Laws NOTES Subsection 6(1)—(cont.) 3. The words “, chronological tables, references and notes” in paragraph (vii) were substituted for the words “and marginal notes”, Act A1061, paragraph 4(b), in force from 1 October 1998. Revision of Laws 9 (v) to alter the word “Enactment”, “Ordinance” or “Proclamation” in any law to “Act”; (vi) to add a long title or a short title to any law which may require it, and to alter the long title or short title of any law; (vii) to supply or alter tables of contents, chronological tables, references and notes: Provided that such tables of contents, chronological tables, references and notes shall not form any part of the law in which they appear; (viii) to consolidate into one law any two or more laws or part thereof in pari materia relating to matters with respect to which Parliament has power to make laws, by whatever legislature those laws were enacted, making such alterations as are thereby rendered necessary in the consolidated enactment, and making modifications to have effect in particular States where if no such modifications were made it would bring about a substantial change in the law in force in such State and appointing such date for the coming into force thereof as may seem most convenient; (ix) to divide any law into two or more laws and to make such amendments, including the supplying of titles, or the alteration of existing titles, as are thereby rendered necessary; (x) to add to or omit from any law any provision required to be added or omitted, or to substitute for any provision of any law any provision required to be substituted, in consequence of any amendment made to that law by any other law or by any authority under powers conferred by law; (xi) to transfer any provision contained in a law from that law to any other law to which that provision more properly belongs, making any alterations thereby rendered necessary; 10 Laws of Malaysia Act 1 (xii) to alter the order of the provisions in any law, and to renumber the provisions of any law; (xiii) to alter the form or arrangement of any provision of any law by transposing words, by combining it in whole or in part with another provision or other provisions or by dividing it into two or more provisions; (xiv) to divide any law, whether consolidated or not, into parts or other divisions; (xv) to correct grammatical, typographical and similar mistakes and for that purpose to make verbal additions, omissions, or alterations not affecting the meaning of any law; (xvi) to alter, insert or omit punctuation marks in any law; (xvii) to make such formal alterations as to names, localities, departments, offices, titles and otherwise as may be necessary to bring any law into conformity with the circumstances of the Federation on the d