Questions by govt MPs to be given priority during oral Q&A in Parliament, says Speaker

KUALA LUMPUR: Questions from government backbenchers will be given priority during oral question and answer sessions in the Dewan Rakyat, says Speaker Tan Sri Johari Abdul (pic).

Johari said this was due to the number of backbench MPs outnumbering Opposition MPs in the lower House, with the former to be given six out of the 10 first questions during oral question and answer sessions.

He added that the decision came after receiving an appeal on this by the Backbenchers Club.

“The reason was that the number of backbenchers exceeded Opposition MPs with the former having 93 MPs and 75 from the Opposition.

“The House’s Standing Order also does not determine the arrangement of questions.

“Hence beginning this sitting, I will allow backbenchers to pose more questions for the first 10 questions for the day.

“This move is not intended to halt anyone’s voices but to expand the voice of backbenchers and Opposition.

“I am not rigid and will observe from time to time,” he said in his opening address during the start of the Dewan Rakyat sitting on Monday (Oct 14).

Perikatan Nasional chief whip Datuk Seri Takiyuddin Hassan (PN-Kota Bahru) opposed this, saying this went against previous practices for the lower House.

“Even when Barisan Nasional had a two-thirds majority, it was always one question from the government and one from the Opposition,” he argued.

Takiyuddin said any appeal, be it by backbenchers or Opposition, should be discussed in the Parliamentary Special Select Committee.

“Backbenchers are already part of the government and they don’t have to ask questions. The matter should have been discussed with us first,” he said.

Backbenchers club chairman Datuk Mohd Shahar Abdullah (BN-Paya Besar) argued that their numbers exceeded Opposition MPs.

“Kota Baru should understand this from a broad perspective.

“Let’s look at the composition. It’s 93 against 75. 93 are part of the backbenchers club and the claim that they are not solid is a serious accusation,” he said.

He added that fairness is not 50/50 but instead depends on the composition.

“We are also elected representatives and must play our role in nation building,” he said.

Responding to Takiyuddin, Johari said he had personally met then Speaker Tan Sri Pandikar Amin on a similar matter, during the former’s role as the Opposotion chief whip.

“At that time, we had 82 Opposition MPs. It was always Barisan first with the Opposition questions only coming later.

“I proposed an alternate sequence. Tan Sri (Pandikar) never negotiated with any chief whip and said that since we had 82, the sequence will be alternated.

“And now, the backbenchers club met me and said they have more numbers than the Opposition.

“They (backbenchers) also have a right to ask questions and I said we can give precedence in the top 10 questions and alternate following that,” he said.

He also stressed that he was not rigid in this, and was open to discussion.

“For now, I will maintain this decision until I see there is a need to change things,” he added.