[UPDATED] Deputy speaker panned for not extending Adham’s winding-up session

KUALA LUMPUR – Dewan Rakyat Deputy Speaker Datuk Mohd Rashid Hasnon has been slammed by opposition MPs for refusing to extend Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Adham Baba’s winding-up session.

Hannah Yeoh (PH-Segambut) urged Rashid to give Dr Adham more time, as the minister received many additional questions and saw interjections from lawmakers.

“Earlier, the Dewan Rakyat was approved to give us time to resolve issues. So, I think we must give the minister extra time because this is the Covid Budget.

“Twenty minutes for the debate is not enough. Please extend the time.”

Rashid replied: “Twenty minutes remains 20 minutes.”

Yeoh then stood up, urging Rashid to use his power as speaker.

“That is not possible! Use the power of the speaker to extend the time.”

The matter got the attention of some MPs, who voiced support for Yeoh’s proposal.

Isnaraissah Munirah Majilis (Warisan-Kota Belud) said if the standard operating procedure on quarantine for those who have just returned from Sabah can be changed, the minister, too, should be given more time.

Rashid relented, and gave Dr Adham almost five minutes to answer questions.

“Now, the time is up, and I have given extra time to the minister to answer.”

Rashid earlier told lawmakers to toe the line when Dr Adham was questioned on the ministry’s plan to improve Sabah and Sarawak’s healthcare system.

Dr Adham was in the middle of explaining medical facility upgrades in Sabah when several lawmakers interjected, including Tuaran’s Datuk Seri Wilfred Madius Tangau.

Madius questioned the minister on a RM1.46 million allocation to upgrade the capacity of laboratories to process Covid-19 tests.

He said Sabah labs can process up to 2,500 samples a day, with 3,000 to 7,000 samples collected daily.

He said the remaining samples have to be flown to the peninsula for testing, incurring huge costs for the government.

“In the first outbreak, some of the samples had to be sent to laboratories in Kota Kinabalu by road or air, and yet, the capacity of Sabah labs has not been upgraded since the first wave of the outbreak in March.”

Dr Adham earlier defended the details, but upon Madius’ insistence, gave in and took note of the Sabah MP’s point.

The minister said the Health Ministry has given RM1.46 million to upgrade the Kota Kinabalu laboratory, and that the Queen Elizabeth Hospital and Universiti Malaysia Sabah labs are assisting in the testing of samples.

For 2020, the allocation to improve healthcare facilities in Sabah amounted to RM356 million.

Under the 11th Malaysia Plan ending December 31, six projects have been completed, while 19 are still in the implementation process, said Dr Adham.

He added that RM12 million has been allocated to Sandakan Hospital to upgrade its wards and pharmacy department, with completion due in 2022.

Ahmad Maslan (BN-Pontian) later questioned why other frontliners, such as police, military and immigration personnel, were not given cash incentives like those with the Health Ministry. – The Vibes, November 26, 2020

Additional reporting by Jason Santos