Ministers, deputies reprimanded after uproar over their absence to answer questions
KUALA LUMPUR: Dewan Rakyat Deputy Speaker Datuk Rashid Hasnon reprimanded ministers and deputy ministers for their absence in Parliament.
Reminding them of their duties, he said they should be more disciplined.
“I want to advise the ministers to be disciplined... as per what has been laid out.
“If they cannot attend, they have to ensure that their deputies are around to answer questions (from members of parliament).
“Priority should be placed on attendance at the Dewan Rakyat... if there are other duties to attend to, then things need to be arranged accordingly and as well as can be,” he said at the Parliament lobby.
Rashid was asked to comment on the ruckus that occurred during question time.
Things became heated when neither the home minister nor his deputy were around to answer a question from Ali Biju (PH-Saratok), who asked about the status of the ministry’s plans to build a new Saratok district police headquarters.
The question was answered by Deputy Economic Affairs Minister Dr Mohd Radzi Md Jinin, who represented the Home Ministry.
Opposition members, however, took the government to task as Radzi was unable to answer a supplementary question.
Datuk Seri Wee Ka Siong (BNAyer Hitam) stood up, saying that he understood that maybe Home Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin was unable to attend as he could be receiving treatment.
However, he said, Muhyiddin’s deputy, Datuk Mohd Azis Jamman, should have been there as the supplementary question was a specific one, which would require either the minister or his deputy to answer.
When the situation calmed down, Rashid said the speaker would issue orders on the matter.
Things became heated again when Radzi was unable to answer another supplementary question from opposition leader Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi (BN-Bagan Datoh) over the change of status of land meant for police housing.
Things calmed down when Radzi promised to get a written answer.
Wee later said he could not remember a time when a minister and his deputy were both absent to answer questions.
“As far as I know, during BN’s time, this never happened. Questions are only answered by them, or in the case of the Prime Minister’s Department, by another minister, but also from the same department.”
Wee said it was not just question time when the ministers and deputies were absent, but also during debates.
“Yesterday (Wednesday), we took pictures four times of the seats on ‘the other side’ (where the ministers and deputy ministers sit). They were all empty.”