MPs who miss parliament sittings to be penalised, says speaker

THE Dewan Rakyat plans to cut allowances of parliamentarians who skip sittings without valid reasons.

Speaker Tan Sri Johari Abdul said that the cabinet was now reviewing the proposed amendments to the Parliamentary Services Act and when it reaches his office, he would include the penalty on MPs who constantly skip sittings.

Parliament usually sits for three times a year, with many of the proceedings now made live so the public can monitor the conduct of their elected representatives.

Johari said that once the amendments are approved by the cabinet, he would include the provisions on penalising MPs who are absent without valid causes.

Among those said to be frequently missing were opposition stalwarts Bersatu president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin and PAS president Tan Sri Abdul Hadi Awang.

Johari said that ensuring frequent attendance of MPs was part of his reforms of the legislative body.

“We were elected to be MPs and to attend the sittings is our job. We are elected and paid for it.”

Johari said this after paying a working visit to the Penang legislative complex.

He was met upon arrival by Penang Speaker Datuk Utama Law Choo Kiang.

Johari said that his tenure as a speaker would be marked with reforms of the legislative body, and that the separation of powers is evident in this unity government.

There is a separation of duties and responsibilities between the judicial, executive and legislative branches – Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim does not interfere in any of these areas, stressed Johari.

He added that transparency would be the order of parliament now, starting with empowering the select parliamentary committees, which can now complement the role of the cabinet in governing the country.

Johari said the government was also looking into increasing the functions of the youth parliament.

The youth version will mirror the main parliament, with hopes that it can spark interest among the young about the affairs of government, he said.

“There are also plans to introduce a mandatory health checkup of each parliamentarian and those who refuse will have their names made public on the parliament’s portal.

“It is important to have health screening of all MPs to deter any unfortunate circumstances of them falling seriously ill.

“If one is an elected representative and one passed on, it will be a burden to the country as an election needs to be held. Prevention is better than cure,” said Johari. – August 6, 2024.