KUALA LUMPUR – Several MPs today suggested that improvements be made to the bloc voting system in the Dewan Rakyat to ensure a conclusive decision is made.
Fahmi Fadzil (Lembah Pantai-PH) said the voting method needed to be improved as currently it was still conducted manually.
“For example, there have been situations where absent MPs were almost marked as present...unless there are observers,” he said before the afternoon debate session on the Constitution (Amendment) Bill 2022 began at the Dewan Rakyat today.
Earlier, Dewan Rakyat speaker Tan Sri Azhar Azizan Harun said that based on Standing Order 100, he amended the number of the voting count for yesterday’s motion to extend the enforcement of sub-section 4(5) of the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act 2012.
He said the number of MPs who voted for the motion was changed from 84 to 85, while the number of absentees was amended from 50 to 49, and those who disagreed remained at 86.
Azhar Azizan said that the amendment was made after Datuk Seri Salim Sharif (Jempol-BN) who was tasked with tallying the vote for block D1, informed him that he had made a mistake by marking Datuk Seri Idris Jusoh (Besut-BN) as absent.
Meanwhile, Su Keong Siong (Kampar-PH) wanted an assurance that the result of the bloc voting will not change again in the future.
Noor Amin Ahmad (Kangar-PH) then suggested that observers’ confirmation be included in the final voting result form so that such errors would not occur again.
Azhar Azizan, in his response, agreed that the voting system needed to be improved and he was ready to take the matter to the Standing Orders Committee. – Bernama, March 24, 2022
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