Speaker rejects emergency motion on economic crisis, cites budget debate

 

PARLIAMENT | Dewan Rakyat Speaker Azhar Azizan Harun today said there is no need for an emergency debate on the economy as the current session will be focused on Budget 2023 starting next week.

He said this in rejecting a motion submitted by opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim for lawmakers to debate the issue today and Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob to respond.

"I note receiving your letter to the prime minister on the motion submitted.

"I also received a copy of your motion to debate the following matter, [...] on the economy, involving the price hike crisis and falling of the ringgit that affects the people," said Azhar.

"I find there is no need to expedite the motion for reasons as stated in my letter to you today, among others, because the issue has been discussed eight times in this House, including through an emergency motion.

"In fact just today itself there are two related matters raised and have been answered at length," he added.

Azhar also said this current session will spend 23 days debating Budget 2023, expressing confidence that matters related to the motion will be raised and answered in due course.

“Therefore I have to reject the motion."

Anwar, however, noted that Budget 2023 debates will focus more on future spending, while the earlier Question Time session only gave room for the minister to deliver an "economic lecture" without any room for debate.

Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim

Request not to dissolve Parliament

Separately, Steven Sim (Harapan-Bukit Mertajam) requested Azhar to deliver a ruling that advises Ismail Sabri to not dissolve Parliament until Budget 2023, which will be tabled this Friday, has been debated and passed.

"I hope we can ask the prime minister to give an assurance that budget debates will go on until completion of all the process and later passed," he said.

In response, Azhar said the power to allocate the number of days for budget debates lies in his hands and not Ismail Sabri.

At the same time, he said the debates will go on so long as Parliament is in session, and it is beyond his powers to ensure there will be no dissolution. - Mkini