Kit Siang: Pandikar's reforms highlights executive interference

DAP leader Lim Kit Siang brushed off Dewan Rakyat Speaker Pandikar Amin Mulia's recently announced parliamentary reforms, pointing to the elephant in the room – executive interference – which he claims is still rampant.

"Parliamentary reforms in Malaysia is a most peculiar animal; when other countries see parliamentary democracy being taken to a higher stage of development, we are trying but failing to achieve what was parliamentary practice in our early years," he said in a statement.

Lim was referring to Pandikar's proposal for Ministers' Question Time on Tuesday and Thursdays, reduction of the period for submission of questions from MPs to 10 days, and a second chamber to deal with emergency motions tabled by lawmakers.

The DAP veteran argued that such reforms were trivial as they touched on matters which have long been standard practice in other Westminster-styled Parliaments, and indeed in practice during Malaysia's early years.

But, more importantly, he noted that the speaker’s announcement was followed by a statement by the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Azalina Othman Said, pledging the government's commitment to parliamentary reforms.

He said she also disclosed that the cabinet had agreed to three of Pandikar's original four proposals at its meeting on Jan 20, and thanked the speaker for clarifying misunderstandings that the executive was interfering with the legislature.

"What irony! Azalina did not realise that she had just confessed to executive interference in parliamentary affairs, when the cabinet had to give the final approval on Jan 20 to three of the four parliamentary reforms,” claimed Lim.

He argued that the fact that the reforms needed cabinet approval itself was indicative of executive interference.

"Parliamentary reforms should be the sole prerogative of Parliament and not contingent on executive or cabinet approval," he said.

Lim said that just as it would be unthinkable that court rulings and practices should first be vetted and approved by the cabinet, parliamentary reforms should not be dependent on cabinet approval, if Malaysia truly practises the doctrine of the separation of powers.

-Mkini