PARLIAMENT | Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Azalina Othman Said said all MPs are allowed to voice their opinions on the Fixed-Term Parliamentary Act (FTPA).
Speaking in the Dewan Rakyat today, Azalina said discussions on the proposal to enact FTPA must be raised as it is a political discourse and political statement from political parties.
“Is this the direction desired by the political parties in our country?
“We are not a communist government that compels our parliamentarians to agree (to certain enactment). No...
“We allow them to express their views, be it from the government, opposition or independent bloc,” she said during her ministry's winding-up speech on royal address debate in august house today.
Azalina said this in response to RSN Rayer (Harapan – Jelutong) who asked for the former’s suggestion on the FTPA bill and when will the MPs hear about it.
This comes after Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi in January proposed to introduce a special bill to ensure a government remains in power for its full five-year term.
However, it was unclear if Zahid was proposing an FTPA model.
Zahid’s proposal came after an alleged move by the opposition to topple the present administration.
Meanwhile, Azalina explained that the proposal to enact the FTPA can be carried out if the government is stable and there are no constant changes in the administration.
“The Madani government led by the prime minister is not shying away from its responsibilities but such matters take time.
“The question asked by Jelutong (Rayer) is tied to this. If the government is stable, we can do everything that we are discussing now.
“But it can’t be implemented if the government keeps changing.”
She then explained that Malaysia, unlike Western countries that practice the Westminster system, practices the constitutional monarchy system.
Azalina added that the Westminster system was the reason why fixed-term laws are needed in Western countries as their constitution is unwritten. - Mkini
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