KUALA LUMPUR, March 17 — Opposition MPs displayed their anger and frustration in the Dewan Rakyat today, after a question relating to the finances of 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) and SRC International Sdn Bhd, was delegated to the religious affairs minister.
Deputy Speaker Datuk Rashid Hasnon ordered the minister in the Prime Minister's Department overseeing religious affairs, Senator Datuk Idris Ahmad to answer the question, as the finance minister and his deputies were not present for the session.
This drew the ire of Opposition MPs, who questioned their whereabouts.
After reading the given reply from the Ministry of Finance (MoF), Idris, too, was unable to respond to the further questions posed by Padang Serai MP, M. Karupaiya, and said written replies would be provided.
For the record, questions posed to the prime minister in Parliament are customarily delegated to ministers or deputy ministers in the department if the prime minister is not present to reply.
"Speaker, this is not that right, Speaker," Perikatan Nasional's (PN) Kuala Langat MP, Datuk Dr A. Xavier Jayakumar said.
"Seolah-olah tangkap basah jer (seems like they are caught with their pants down)," Karupaiya teased.
"How to answer the additional questions later?" Setiawangsa MP, Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad asked.
"Where is the deputy (finance minister)? Don't tell me there is not one deputy finance minister? How is it that the deputy finance minister is not here? Two of them! Why do we then pay (them) so much?" Lembah Pantai MP Ahmad Fahmi Mohamed Fadzil questioned.
Karupaiya had asked about the total payment by the Malaysian government to repay debts related to 1MDB and SRC International, the financial resources used for it, the sum taken from each of these sources and details of those for whom the payments are made. He also asked as to how much more debt Malaysians have to pay.
