MPs playing truant at taxpayers’ expense

Gone are the days when Parliament used to be a vibrant platform where the elected representatives debated with dignity and engaged in healthy, insightful discussions on pressing issues.

If one were to follow the afternoon sessions these days, there were many empty seats both in government and in the opposition benches -- hardly anyone was left in the chamber to listen to what other MPs were saying -- even to the extent of lack of a quorum in the House.

When the proceedings began in the morning, most of the MPs marked their presence by making short speeches, engaging in something newsworthy, or were busy with their mobile phones.

When a journalist raised this concern with a backbencher MP from the government in the Parliament corridors, he had so many grievances lamenting that they hardly receive adequate time to address the House as party heavyweights ‘eat’ most of their time, despite their multiple requests to allocate reasonable time for the light weights.

He also stressed that many MPs leave the chamber due to other commitments such as scheduled committee hearings or other official matters, to which they are entitled to extra allowances in addition to attending parliamentary sessions.

Recalling his school days, the journalist observed there is a similarity between school and parliamentary sessions these days where students mark their presence in the morning and later in the afternoon ‘disappear’ before schools are closed. The MP said he could also relate to such incidents in his formative years, but the concerned journalist responded: “But when we did it at that time in [school], no one paid us from taxpayers’ money noh?” The MP left the scene with a smile nodding in apparent agreement.