Opposition walkout undermines check-and-balance role, analysts say

 

The decision of some opposition lawmakers to walk out of the Dewan Rakyat and boycott yesterday’s ministerial briefing on the Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) report on Tabung Haji (TH) has undermined their role as a check and balance, particularly in safeguarding the interests of TH’s 10 million depositors. — BERNAMA

KUALA LUMPUR: The decision of some opposition lawmakers to walk out of the Dewan Rakyat and boycott yesterday's ministerial briefing on the Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) report on Tabung Haji (TH) has undermined their role as a check and balance, particularly in safeguarding the interests of TH's 10 million depositors, analysts said.

Associate Prof Dr Mazlan Ali of Universiti Teknologi Malaysia said the move was also disappointing for depositors who expected their elected representatives to use Parliament as a platform to scrutinise the report and seek explanations from the government.

"They should have stayed in the Dewan Rakyat and first listened to the minister's briefing. If they had questions, wanted to debate the matter or were dissatisfied with the explanations, they could have raised them directly with the minister.

"This is also in line with Parliament's role as a respected institution where no facts should be concealed.

"The opposition should have used the opportunity to put public interest above political differences," he told Bernama.

He said such an approach would also have allowed the opposition to openly scrutinise the RCI's findings and raise issues concerning TH depositors' interests on the parliamentary record.

On the reason for the opposition's walkout being the absence of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim during the briefing and the debate, Mazlan said it should have been an issue as the Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Religious Affairs) Dr Zulkifli Hasan was more than capable of providing explanations within the scope of his portfolio.

"They wanted the Prime Minister to be there. In my view, whether it is the Prime Minister or the religious minister, it makes very little difference because the main issue is Tabung Haji.

"Everyone is also aware that the Prime Minister is receiving medical treatment in hospital, so he should be given time to rest," he said.

Mazlan said the boycott could also have political repercussions by creating a perception that the opposition was less committed to championing depositors' interests, when the sustainability and management of the institution serving the Muslim community required continued scrutiny.

Echoing the view, Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Department of Social Sciences senior lecturer Dr Nazreena Mohammed Yasin said active participation by MPs in the debate was a more effective mechanism for ensuring the check-and-balance function was carried out substantively.

"In the context of the TH RCI report, the Dewan Rakyat debate provides an institutional platform for MPs to scrutinise the findings, raise questions and seek explanations from the government.

"Through this process, the principle of accountability can be strengthened as the government is responsible for explaining its actions and decisions to elected representatives and the public," she said.

Nazreena also noted that the government's accountability to Parliament did not depend entirely on the Prime Minister's attendance, as any relevant minister was also responsible for answering questions from MPs.

At the same time, she said MPs' participation in the debate was important to ensure that any follow-up action arising from the RCI findings was openly scrutinised, including policies, governance and measures to be implemented by the government.

In matters with direct implications for the public interest, she said, elected representatives were not only responsible for voicing criticism but also for ensuring that questions raised received appropriate answers and follow-up action through parliamentary mechanisms.

Yesterday, Perikatan Nasional (PN) MPs, including Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainuddin, walked out of the Dewan Rakyat and did not take part in the debate on the TH RCI report.

PN Chief Whip Datuk Seri Takiyuddin Hassan and PN chairman Datuk Seri Dr Samsuri Mokhtar were also among those who left.

At the start of yesterday's special sitting, Takiyuddin proposed that the sitting be postponed following the absence of the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof, who were both receiving medical treatment.

The special sitting was held to hear the ministerial briefing by Zulkifli on the TH RCI report, as well as efforts and measures taken to restore the institution's financial position following findings of management and operational weaknesses between 2014 and 2020, as detailed in the report. — BERNAMA