KUALA LUMPUR – Being part of the backbencher does not mean that an MP cannot criticise policies being drawn up by the government, Datuk Seri Wee Ka Siong (Ayer Hitam-BN) said in response to claims that he is behaving like an opposition.
Addressing a press conference today, the MCA president said he refuses to take everything being done or announced by the government at face value.
He said it should be the duty of lawmakers to voice out concerns for the sake of the rakyat.
“As an MP, I’m duty-bound to (conduct) check-and-balance, if there is any room for improvement,” he said at the Parliament lobby, here, today.
“Being one of the parties that supports the unity government, I’m obligated (to voice my opinion). This is the duty of an MP.
“I don’t think we should come here and become a yes man. There must be checks and balances within the government.”
Wee, who is a former cabinet member, noted that when he first became an MP in 2004 and also served as a backbencher then, he was similarly critical of certain policies announced by the Barisan Nasional government.
“You can refer to Hansard and the speeches that I made.
“Even if you are in the government or supporting the government, that doesn’t mean you will accept 100% all the policies that they have formulated,” he said.
Wee was asked to comment on claims by social media users that his recent criticisms of the government in Parliament have made him appear as though he is supporting the opposition bloc.
Among other things, Wee had taken issue with the government’s decision to import eggs from India, saying this would not address the shortages of the product here.
He noted that the imported eggs are sold at a higher price than locally made ones despite their smaller size, while the long duration it takes to transport the items into the country would also affect their quality.
Separately, Wee is also one of only a few government MPs who are strong proponents of another round of targeted withdrawals of Employees Provident Fund (EPF).
He had, on a couple of occasions, pressured the government to allow those in desperate need to withdraw from their EPF accounts, albeit under strict conditions.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, however, maintained that the government would not make such an allowance, but would instead allow the retirement savings to be used as collateral for emergency loans from banks. – The Vibes, March 16, 2023
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