The Malacca state assembly's refusal to provide written replies to state assemblypersons has left the state opposition fuming.
State assemblypersons were expecting to receive their written replies after the sitting concluded on Oct 3 but have yet to receive any after several weeks.
In a letter dated Oct 28, house speaker Othman Muhamad conveyed the message that written replies would not be provided.
"I, on behalf of the management of the Malacca state assembly, cannot provide answers for verbal questions that were not answered in time during the last sitting," the letter read.No reason was provided for the decision in the letter.
The letter was in response to a written query by Ayer Keroh state assemblyperson Khoo Poay Tiong (left) dated Oct 21.
Khoo, when contacted, said under the previous Malacca government, all verbal questions that could not be answered in time would be provided with written replies.
However, the convention in the latest sitting was broken after Idris Harun became chief minister, he said.
"The written replies are important because we ask important questions on behalf of the rakyat.
"It denies the public's right to information and this new practice is totally unprofessional," he said.
Khoo said that all state assemblypersons, both opposition and government were denied the written replies.
He added that the house speaker, which should be independent, should not be cowed by the chief minister.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.