JULY 6 — Penang State Assembly Speaker Law Choo Kiang said that the state legislative assembly will not have Question Time during the whole duration of its current sitting to save time. It is not good for a parliamentary democratic system as it deprives the right of lawmakers to question the government.
If Pakatan Rakyat wants to raise the status and role of Parliament in the country’s democratic institution, it should first exert great efforts in promoting legislative assembly democracy, particularly in the states that they are ruling, so that the BN federal and state governments would also treat all Pakatan Rakyat lawmakers fairly.
Since Pakatan Rakyat has always criticised the BN for “bullying” Pakatan Rakyat’s members of Parliament with its majority advantage, its ruling states should then show an example of generosity, such as letting an opposition state assemblyman chair the state’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC) as suggested by the Selangor state government, despite Datuk Shamsudin Lias having rejected the appointment; or saving the first three questions of the Question Time for opposition lawmakers to fully utilise the legislative assembly’s function of overseeing the state government.
Honestly, after so many years with one-party dominance, the legislative assemblies in our country have not been given due respect and its status is still having a great room for improvement.
For instance, the government rarely consults lawmakers, professional bodies and members of the public before developing a Bill. Recently, lawmakers found that section 107(b) of the Administration of Religion of Islam (Federal Territories) Bill 2013 is inconsistent with the Federal Constitution only after it was tabled in the Dewak Rakyat for first reading. Parliament should not continue being the rubber stamp of the government to make laws.
Our Parliament was established based on the Westminster system, but the British Parliament enjoys a higher status compared to the Parliament in our country. For example, the British Parliament held a hearing to investigate the London Interbank Offered Rate (Libor) Scandal. The House of Commons Culture, Media and Sports Committee also held a hearing in 2011 over the News of the World phone-hacking scandal and requested media tycoon Rupert Murdoch to answer questions.
The US Congress also has the right to hold legislative hearings, oversight hearings and investigative hearings over legislative and public issues or activities. It is also empowered to summon the Attorney-General and the Federal Reserve chairman to ensure administrative transparency and prevent the abuse of power.
However, the Malaysian Parliament does not play the democratic function of overseeing the administration. The PAC’s investigations over the Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) scandal, the National Feedlot Centre scandal and the improprieties and irregularities exposed by the Auditor-General’s reports have so far failed to come out with satisfactory results.
A Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) was set up on the Lynas Advanced Materials Plant (LAMP) and it had submitted its report to Parliament. However, the LAMP’s permanent disposal facility (PDF) plan submitted to the government on July 2 should also be submitted to Parliament for scrutiny.
Is the disposal facility safe? Where would it be located? Who would be responsible for monitoring it? As the people’s representatives, members of Parliament have the right to know.
In the spirit of parliamentary democracy, the government should treat all constituencies fairly. A DAP leader recently charged that the amount of financial aid that the BN government allocated to the 89 Pakatan Rakyat federal constituencies has been significantly reduced from the range of RM1,000,000 to RM1,500,000 to the range of RM300,000 to RM500,000. If it is the case, it has then violated the principle of national reconciliation.
BN and Pakatan Rakyat should make good use of legislative assemblies to enhance transparency and efficiency of government administrations. Serious corruption is also related to a “weak” legislature. Therefore, getting parliamentary democracy back on the right track should be put on the front burner. — mysinchew.com
* This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malay Mail Online
