Dewan Rakyat speaker speaks out against 'unusual' absence of PN MPs

 

PARLIAMENT | Empty seats on the opposition's bench during debates of the Auditor-General's Report 2021 and subsequent ministerial responses had caught the eye of Dewan Rakyat Speaker Johari Abdul who presided over the sitting this afternoon.

Johari (above) noted it was unusual for a majority of opposition lawmakers to be absent, following Perikatan Nasional's (PN) move to boycott the first-ever debates surrounding audit findings of federal expenditures.

"Usually the House will be full, but the opposition did not want to take part in the (audit) debates, so they decided to boycott and left the House from yesterday until today.

"This is not usual practice and quite unusual. We should not give the impression that this is a usual situation in the House (with no opposition),” said Johari.

Johari made his remarks after welcoming the attendance of several groups of visiting students.

RSN Rayer (Harapan-Jelutong), who stood up to raise the opposition's absence, quipped that it had brought "peace" to Dewan Rakyat proceedings.

"The situation is calm and peaceful without the opposition," said Rayer, who is equally known for his own outbursts that had in the past triggered uproars in the House. - Mkini