Penang legislative assembly to have daily question time

The Penang legislative assembly will have time set aside for daily Q&A sessions. – The Malaysian Insider filepic, May 15, 2015.

The Penang legislative assembly will introduce daily question-and-answer sessions for an hour and a half to allow for ample time to ask questions to the administration and get immediate responses.

This was approved tonight in a motion to amend and set new rules to the House's standing order.

Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng (DAP-Air Putih), when tabling the motion, said the move would make the Penang legislative assembly a first-world assembly.

He said this showed that the state government was sincere in giving sufficient space and time for backbenchers, namely those in the opposition to ask questions on issues and current affairs.

In debating the motion, Deputy Chief Minister I Datuk Mohd Rashid Hasnon (PKR-Pantai Jerejak) said it was an commendable improvement from the current allowed session.

Teh Yee Cheu (DAP-Tanjung Bungah) said apart from more time for questions and answers, the House should also encourage better quality debates and winding up by exco members.

Tonight, the House also passed a motion by state Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Committee chairman Datuk Abdul Malik Abul Kassim (PKR-Batu Maung) to demand the federal government to scrap the goods and services tax (GST).

"This tax has negative impact on the economy, making life difficult for families, especially those in the lower income group. The tax is also affects government projects like building public infrastructure."

Welfare exco Phee Boon Poh (DAP-Sungai Puyu) supported the motion, dubbing GST as “gasak sampai tulang” and a multi-layered tax that was bad for the people.

The 10 Barisan Nasional backbenchers in the House did not debate the motion although during voting, they replied 'nay'. Speaker Datuk Law Choo Kiang said the House was notified in advance that they did not wish to participate in the debate.

The House also passed a motion by Lee Khai Loon (PKR-Machang Bubuk) to condemn the political prosecution of former opposition leader and Permatang Pauh MP Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

Lee said the five-year jailing of Anwar over sodomy was cruel and against principles of democracy and justice.

He also raised questions whether the judiciary was free and the conduct of Anwar's trial fair while citing the international outcry that followed the latter's sentencing on February 10.

Soon Lip Chee (DAP-Jawi) voiced his support for the motion while no opposition rep objected. Law said the opposition backbenchers had also decided not to debate the motion.

Several Pakatan Rakyat backbenchers were seen holding placards with the words “Bebas Anwar” and “Tolak GST”.

A motion was also approved to close three inactive accounts in the state government trust fund.

Meanwhile, the House also passed two senator appointments. DAP vice-president Dr Ariffin S.M. Omar was appointed as senator from Penang for a second term for another three years.

The House approved the proposal to appoint Siti Aishah Shaik Ismail, 30, as senator replacing Syed Shahir Syed Mohamed, whose term ends on June 2.

Earlier, in his winding up speech, Lim defended the state's decision to have the Penang Island Municipal Council and Seberang Prai Municipal Council to absorb GST, which ratepayers were supposed to pay for using council services and renting council-owned facilities.

He also said the Penang could continue to draw water from Sungai Muda without paying the Kedah government, citing the riparian right.

He pointed to a 1982 Memorandum of Understanding between the Penang and Kedah administrations, whereby Penang would transfer 10.88ha of land to Kedah and cooperate in managing the Muda Dam.

In exchange, Lim said, Kedah redrew its borders whereby the demarcation was made in the middle of Sungai Muda in order for Penang could to extract water within her own state boundaries.

“This was one of the pre-conditions for a 1973 Asian Development Bank loan arranged by the federal government for Penang to implement water supply projects.”

On a question by Muhamad Farid Saad (BN-Pulau Betong) about what had happened to the helipad on Komtar, Lim said the Fire and Rescue Department had never approved a helipad on top of the tower as a fire safety feature for the 65-storey building.

He said the top floor of the tower was being renovated into an outdoor sky dining area but there was no plan to convert the building, which now houses the state administration's offices, into a hotel.

He added that if the offices were to move out, it could negatively affect surrounding businesses in George Town and maybe even the Unesco World Heritage Site nearby.

- TMI