Dewan Rakyat speaker Johari Abdul has said that Parliament is currently pushing to increase the maximum fine from RM1,000 to RM10,000 for parliamentarians who violate stipulated rules.
In a move to amend the Houses of Parliament (Privileges and Powers) Act, Johari stated that these fines would be imposed upon MPs who make “unparliamentary remarks” and engage in “unparliamentary actions.”
Johari also stated that MPs who violate such rules and engage in disrespectful behaviour should be suspended.
“We are moving so that this Act shall be implemented, and to make sure that every MP contributes to the betterment of the nation,” he said in his opening speech at a lecture hosted at the Malaysian parliament last night.
The lecture, which focused on ‘Rebuilding the nation through reforms’, also featured speeches by the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reforms) Azalina Othman and the former Dewan Rakyat speaker Mohamad Ariff Md Yusuf.
Johari also said he hopes that the Parliamentary Services Act will be reinstated during his tenure as the speaker. The Act was initially repealed in 1992.
In addition to Johari’s remarks, Azalina also emphasised that MPs’ poor attendance in Parliament should be highlighted more urgently as a nationwide concern.
Aside from stricter action beng taken against parliamentary absenteeism, Azalina also encouraged more civil participation and for the rakyat to hold their MPs accountable.
“It is everybody’s role to monitor what the MPs discuss in Parliament, and it is the responsibility for people in Parliament to show up to parliamentary meetings,” she said.
“In 2021, Parliament was locked down because of Covid-19 for six months. We went for six months without any (parliamentary) accountability… No matter what happens, Parliament cannot shut down, because otherwise, where is the voice of balance?”
Ariff also said he noticed during his time as the Dewan Rakyat speaker that there were some MPs who signed into Parliament into the morning during sittings but then disappeared for the rest of the day.
He suggested there be a way to ensure MPs attend at least eight hours of parliamentary sitting before being eligible for the meeting allowance. - Mkini
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