PARLIAMENT | Opposition MPs staged a walkout from the Dewan Rakyat this afternoon, protesting Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s speech to congratulate Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar’s appointment as the 17th Yang di-Pertuan Agong.
Before the walkout, opposition chief Hamzah Zainudin (PN-Larut) rose from his seat to protest the timing of Anwar’s speech, which he said should have been done earlier at the start of the Dewan Rakyat sitting this morning.
According to Hamzah (above), never has such a speech by a prime minister been delivered after debates on the king’s decree had already begun in the august house.
"If (the prime minister) plans to deliver a speech to congratulate and thank the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, he should have done it earlier, before the motion (to debate Agong's decree) is tabled.
"What are you trying to do by delivering a thank you speech now? We are already debating the decree, all of a sudden you want to stop it for a while to say thank you. For what?
"It's not that I disagree with it. We are not here to just simply oppose, but we want to see that the rules are followed,” he said.
"By convention, such an incident has never happened in any country," he added.
Hamzah also suggested that Anwar deliver his address during his winding-up speech instead.
The Bersatu lawmaker’s protest came in response to a motion proposed by Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Azalina Othman Said, who sought the Dewan Rakyat's permission for Anwar to deliver his speech to thank the king and congratulate Sultan Ibrahim on his coronation.
The proposal was immediately met with the opposition's objection before Dewan Rakyat speaker Johari Abdul called for a bloc vote. It saw a majority of the Dewan Rakyat members supporting the proposal to allow the minister's motion.
Hamzah criticised the majority decision, accusing the government of abusing its majority in Parliament to bulldoze a decision.
‘Rude, disrespectful opposition’
In his defence, Anwar told the MPs that he could not deliver the speech in the morning as he had a meeting with Cambodia Prime Minister Hun Manet, who was on an official visit to Malaysia.
The prime minister expressed his "strong objection" against the opposition MPs staging a walkout when the government was expressing its appreciation to the king.
Anwar also criticised Hamzah's suggestion for him to deliver the speech at the end of the debate session.
"I was supposed to come (to Parliament) this morning, (but) we have an official visit from the Prime Minister of Cambodia Hun Manet.
"That is why I have asked for the speaker's permission to deliver my speech at 2.30pm.
"It is also absurd for us to give a speech to thank the Yang di-Pertuan Agong at the end of this session. This shows that the opposition is rude and disrespectful to the royal institution," Anwar said.
'Tyranny of the majority'
Speaking in a press conference shortly after the walkout, PN chairperson Muhyiddin Yassin concurred with Hamzah, calling it a “tyranny of the majority”.
“It was an out-of-the-norm occurrence. How can there be a slot (given to Anwar) in the middle (of debates)?
“Just because they have a majority, they do what they want without following the procedures that have been in place,” Muhyiddin said.
Meanwhile, Hamzah reiterated his remarks, saying it was an abuse of power for the government to use the majority support that they possess.
“If we listen to the royal address, His Majesty said we must follow the rules and procedures.
“The prime minister should wait for the time (to come), then speak. He can (speak) for two or three hours or the whole day, and we can listen.
“But when they do something that is against the Standing Orders, it is an abuse of power. That is why we do not agree with it,” Hamzah said, adding that the opposition wants to prove to the people that they will oppose if the government does not abide by the rules. - Mkini
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.