Speaker to take up Express proposal
Published on: Sunday, September 07, 2014
Kota Kinabalu: Parliament Speaker Tan Sri Pandikar Haji Mulia said he hopes to initiate some changes in the way the Malaysian Lower House functions with a view to enhancing its role towards greater openness and accountability.Pandikar, a Sabahan who is into his second term, said among these is to allow Members of Parliament (MPs) to question his decisions."MPs should be able to question the Speaker's decisions and debate it in the House," he said. Currently, although the Speaker's decisions could be questioned, it can't be debated because the business of the Government has to take precedence.
ADVERTISEMENT
"I don't want to hide behind that provision," he said.He also believes that the time has come for the Malaysian parliament to join the "first world" league by introducing a Question Time specifically for the Prime Minister."There must be a certain day and time set aside whereby all MPs can have the opportunity to question the Prime Minister of the day on any single issue concerning the nation," he said."That would be fantastic, I think, but whether the Government will be willing to take it up is another matter," he said, adding that many parliaments in the developed world like UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand are already practising this.
ADVERTISEMENT
In the immediate term, he said he would be discussing with the Communications Ministry to consider a Daily Express proposal to broadcast all parliament sessions "live" over radio.He agreed that the "live" telecast of proceedings on TV saw some MPs sometimes going out of their way to attract attention, bearing in mind that they are being watched by millions of people.
ADVERTISEMENT
"But if the sessions are broadcast live over radio, this would mean that they won't be able to put on an act since nobody can see them but at the same time the voters will be able to hear whether they are doing what was expected of them."It is a good proposal and I will discuss it it with the Minister and RTM," he said.Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
Daily Express Malaysia
