HAVING been ostracised for its lack of decorum, it is time for reforms to be introduced in the Malaysian Parliament in order to restore some sanity in our lawmakers.
The august house also received a chiding from the Selangor ruler Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah (main pic) who on Apr 12 last year posted on the official Selangor palace Facebook page a painting which attracted His Royal Highness’ attention.
It was a painting which depicted the behaviours of some frogs and various primates. Frog is the moniker for lawmakers who hopped from one party to another. Primates are known to be boisterous.
Even former twice premier Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad had hopped four times too many – from UMNO to Bersatu, and then to Gerakan Tanah Air (GTA) before joining Pejuang. He has since gone into obsolescence.
Time to behave
With parliamentary sessions nowadays broadcast on TV and social media, the antics of ‘apes’, ‘chimpanzees’ and ‘baboons’, to name a few, can be viewed by the people.
Welcome to the Malaysian parliament in session! It is a circus the moment you step into the hall. The latest frog to jump is none other than MUDA president, Syed Saddiq Abdul Rahman, who will be hopping to the opposition front.
What a sheer waste of public fund if they are each paid a salary of RM16,000 a month – or several times that of most Malaysians, — yet they do nothing but sleep in the august house or engage in nothing but a shouting match.
Where is the proper debate that we expect to see from these lawmakers over issues that concern the electorate? If their job is to just vote against any proposal made by the government of the day, they should not ask for a second or third term.
This is why stricter guidelines must be imposed by the Dewan Rakyat in order for the MPs to stay focused on the issue being debated, according to Cheras voter Robert Wong.
Another voter, Patrick Yap, agreed with Dewan Rakyat speaker Tan Sri Johari Abdul’s plan of docking MPs’ allowance each time they are absent when the Parliament is in session.
“They receive a lifetime pension even after they retire,” Yap lamented.
For each day of parliament in session, MPs receive a daily allowance of about RM500 even though they may only come into parliament for five minutes and then disappear.
Johari’s proposal would receive public ovation once implemented. In fact, those caught napping in parliament should also be fined heftily.
Debate like the Singaporeans and Britons
Malaysian parliament should maintain decorum throughout the entire session. It is so embarrassing to show our younger generation how our elected representatives behave in parliament.
Just take a look at how debates are conducted in Singapore and Britain. There is no background shouting or vulgar words coming from the ‘primates’ of both sides of the hall.
Parliament is not the sports arena where football matches are going on with people cheering and jeering at each other. It is the august house where laws are being debated and passed.
So, maintain decorum Yang Berhormat, please! The whole world is watching when video clips are published on the social media. – Sept 12, 2023
