KOTA KINABALU – Several Sabah assemblymen today urged the state assembly to raise the number of days set aside for their meetings to allow more room for debates.
Sabah’s assembly currently sits for up to 12 days a year, spread over three meetings.
State opposition leader Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal said members of the House should be given sufficient time to debate issues and raise matters related to their constituencies.
“If the number of days (for the sitting could not be added), then the hours per sitting should be extended daily to allow all assemblymen enough time to raise their problems, if needed,” he said.
Sabah DAP secretary Phoong Jin Zhe said his party had already proposed to Speaker Datuk Kadzim Yahya to extend the number of days that the state assembly meets, as assemblymen are currently forced to limit their number of questions due to time constraints.
“We had asked the speaker for up to 30 days. If you compare us to other state assemblies like in Australia and Scotland, Sabah is very far behind. Their state Parliaments go between 50 and 60 days a year,” the Luyang assemblyman said.
However, Phoong said the state assembly’s standing committee has drawn up a draft proposal to extend the number of days to 20, including two weeks for the annual budget meeting at the end of the year.
Sabah Progressive Party president Datuk Seri Yong Teck Lee suggested that the state assembly increase the length of a meeting by a day in the event that there are major bills or legislations that need to be debated and passed.
The state assembly convenes its first meeting of this year from March 21-24. – The Vibes, March 17, 2022
