Govt not giving orders to Dewan speaker, Fahmi says after backlash

 

Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil has denied that the government plans to give orders to the Dewan Rakyat speaker’s office.

This is after backlash over his saying that the cabinet would contact the speaker’s office over false statements issued by MPs.

Fahmi clarified that he was referring to his usual meet-up with speaker Johari Abdul on matters that would need his attention.

“Even the opposition leader and leader of the house (prime minister) will meet the speaker from time to time, even the backbenchers can if they want to.

“The reason for this is so we can swap ideas, share knowledge and discuss important matters, this was what I meant.

“We can’t tell the speaker what to do,” he was quoted as saying by Malay Mail.

Dewan Rakyat speaker Johari Abdul

He added that it was similar to when Tasek Gelugor MP Wan Saiful Wan Jan met with the speaker to clarify and be allowed to retract his remarks against Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.

“The speaker clearly stated too that he had met him and had a meeting with him. So this was what I meant, meeting a speaker is a norm,” the minister said.

‘Ill-advised’

Yesterday, Fahmi said the cabinet would contact the speaker’s office to “make sure” that incidents of MPs spreading falsehoods while debating in the Dewan Rakyat and apologising later, do not repeat themselves.

Former deputy minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (law and institutional reform) Ramkarpal Singh said this was ill-advised and implied that the government was interfering with Parliament.

The Bukit Gelugor MP said it was important that Parliament remained independent.

Likewise, Lawyers for Liberty said any attempt by the government to issue rebukes through the speaker’s office was a “dangerous development” that needed to be nipped in the bud. - Mkini