KUALA LUMPUR – Deputy Dewan Rakyat Speaker Datuk Ramli Mohd Nor (Cameron Highlands-BN) began today’s sitting with a stern admonishment to MPs, reminding them to focus on issues faced by their constituencies instead of “rhetoric”.
Ramli, who addressed the lawmakers before question time, said the time allocated for debates should be used for MPs to showcase their ideals.
“I would like to advise MPs to use the time given to present their debates in a way that focuses on their constituencies.
“This is because if we look at the relevant rhetoric (raised by MPs), they do not reflect the aspirations of MPs in this august House,” he said, without singling out any lawmaker.
During his debate on Budget 2023 yesterday, Tan Sri Abdul Hadi Awang (Marang-PN) had used his time to claim that the opposition must not be blamed if the government collapses again in similar fashion to the Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad-led Pakatan Harapan government in 2020.
The PAS president instead suggested that such an event would be due to the government’s own doing and weaknesses.
Last week, Datuk Seri Takiyuddin Hassan (Kota Baru-PN) had spent his entire assigned time to debate the royal address accusing Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim (Tambun-PH) of hypocrisy in the latter’s fight against corruption.
On the same day, Datuk Seri Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man (Kubang Kerian-PN) had also implied that Putrajaya had dictated the Yang di-Pertuan Agong’s officiating speech in Parliament.
The PAS deputy president has since apologised for his comments, stating that the matter should not be dragged on and that focus should be on pressing issues affecting the public. – The Vibes, March 1, 2023
