KUALA LUMPUR, March 19 — Putrajaya should hold briefings on MH370 during parliamentary proceedings, a federal opposition MP demanded today after labelling as “flimsy” the government’s excuse for only including Barisan Nasional (BN) representatives in last night’s session.

DAP MP Gobind Singh Deo called acting Transport Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein “clearly clueless” for saying Pakatan Rakyat (PR) MPs were left out of yesterday’s “BN MPs only” briefing because the opposition pact had not requested for such a meeting.

He pointed out that PR representatives have spoken about the mysterious jet’s disappearance several times since Parliament started earlier this month and urged for updates during debates in the House.

Reminding Hishamuddin of his duty as a minister to brief Parliament on this matter, Gobind also pointed out the missing plane which carried 239 people was of national and international concern.

“The minister should show respect for Parliament and the people of Malaysia.

“He should not forget that a briefing in Parliament would not just serve to benefit Members of Parliament but all Malaysians and the rest of the world as such a briefing would be open to the public and more importantly form part of the official records of Parliamentary proceedings,” the Puchong MP said in a statement today.

Last night, Hishammuddin addressed opposition uproar at being left out of the special briefing for BN lawmakers, saying that it was organised by the Transport Ministry in response to an earlier request from the Barisan Nasional Backbenchers Club (BNBBC).

The three-and-a-half hour session last night, which included a dinner, also saw officials from the Department of Civil Aviation, the Royal Malaysian Armed Forces and flag carrier Malaysia Airlines (MAS).

Hishammuddin, who is also defence minister, related that he had only updated the BNBBC on the timeline of the events and had not shared confidential information beyond what the investigation team could divulge.

The information shared was also publicly known, said Hishammuddin, who has been speaking at daily press conferences on the MH370 flight that have been broadcasted live.

Hishammuddin added that the government was open to arranging a similar session to keep PR MPs up-to-date on the events that have unfolded since the Beijing-bound plane disappeared mid-flight on March 8.

He said that if there was a request from PR, “we will comply.”

PKR MPs Fuziah Salleh and Sim Tze Tzin had accused the Najib administration of partisan politics in locking out 89 opposition elected representatives.

Today, Gobind remained unconvinced, insisting that PR lawmakers had previously requested Hishamuddin to brief Parliament directly on the ongoing search for the plane.

“In any event, it is strange that the minister doesn’t know that many Pakatan MPs who have spoken in Parliament since last Wednesday have, just like the MPs from BN, expressed concern over the matter and asked the minister to update Parliament on the progress made the in search operations thus far,” he said.