KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 15 — Federal opposition lawmakers lauded the Cabinet’s acceptance of the proposed second chamber in the Parliament, but urged Speaker Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia to press ahead with more substantive upgrades.

Yesterday, Pandikar reportedly said that the Cabinet has approved his proposal for a second chamber to debate and discuss emergency motions that rarely make it to the Dewan Rakyat due to the tight schedule during a sitting.

But veteran DAP lawmaker Lim Kit Siang, who has been a MP for all but one term since 1969, told Malay Mail Online that Pandikar must not be content with “mini reforms”.

“What we want to see are bigger reforms, such as (the) prime minister’s question time,” Lim said, stressing that it was necessary that the PM be made to personally answer queries directed at him.

“It’s better late than never. The second chambers concept has already been implemented in many Parliaments across the world,” he said when welcoming the development.

PKR strategic director Sim Tze Tzin said the implementation of a second chambers must be accompanied by three other reforms that were listed by Pandikar during discussions with all political parties last year.

These are a minister’s’ question time session, the formation of at least nine other select committees to oversee specific areas such as economy and transportation, and the reduction of notice period imposed on MPs to submit a question to allow more contemporary issues to be discussed.

“You can’t say you want to do 2 per cent today, and another 10 per cent tomorrow. How long will we take to become a world class Parliament then?” Sim asked.

“They all must happen in the next session. So I hope the Speaker pushes the government to accept all four reforms,” he stated.

Sim said that even with the four reforms, the Malaysian Parliament would still lag behind its counterparts in developed nations, particularly in the independence of the legislature whose affairs are now currently handled by the executive.

Sim also said that the formation of several select committees is the most “essential” part of the current batch of proposed reforms by Pandikar.

DAP’s M Kulasegaran, who has been a MP since 1997, praised Pandikar for finally moving ahead with reforms and doing what his predecessors did not manage to do.

“Where the previous Speakers were warming the seats, he has taken a step to institute refor  And this is a much needed move as the second chambers is already practised in many advanced democracies,” he said.

Pandikar had threatened resignation from his post several times in the past, citing the need to reform the Parliament.

Last year, he tendered his resignation, but retracted it after Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak convinved him that the reforms sought will go through.

The opposition regularly files emergency motions in Parliament to discuss current issues, but these rarely make it into the agenda as the proceedings prioritise government affairs.

The second chambers will debate and discuss these motions with the relevant minister in charge answering the issues raised.