Absent MPs: Cut 60 pct of their monthly allowances

People voted for members of parliament because they trust the MPs to be their voices in the House of Representatives.

Unfortunately, those representatives who claim themselves as “people’s fighters” seem uninterested to sit in the Lower House of Parliament as some of them are not keen to participate in debates and contribute supplementary questions during the morning’s verbal-answer session.

Even worse, they don’t attend at all, and when certain bills need majority votes to pass, they suddenly become "visible" from nowhere.

MPs earn a big amount every month, and they are also provided with special perks that normal people like us don’t get.

After the recent series of “absence of MPs”, I think it’s time to strictly enforce the deduction of MPs’ allowance for non-attendance.

Each of them has to be on the MP desk at least for five hours, and they have to also record the titles of debates they would participate in and duration of each of their to-be joined debates.

A special attendance and participation record system is needed for this purpose.

MPs who sit for less than 300 minutes and didn't even speak a word during the period deserved to get their monthly allowance cut by sixty percent.

Every MP is responsible for voicing out national issues as well as matters concerning their constituents. Everything that is closely related to the people must be raised and noted by every member of the cabinet in the Dewan Rakyat.

MPs’ attendance must be strictly monitored by the chief speaker of the Lower House, and he has to make sure that each of the backbencher MPs of both sides is responsible for their presence and participation.

Participation in debate and supplementary-question session contributes 20 and five marks, respectively.

Each of them has to at least collect 120 points in a week, from Monday to Thursday. Otherwise, they will see their monthly allowance reduced by sixty percent at the end of the month.

Believe me, that’s the only way to educate the federal-level politicians who were elected by voters to be more serious and responsible about being the loud voice to their voters. - Mkini