Changes Pandikar wants in P'ment
Published on: Thursday, May 28, 2015
Kota Kinabalu: An opportunity for questions to be thrown at whoever may be the Prime Minister on various issues as is practised in many Commonwealth countries is top on the parliamentary reform agenda that Dewan Rakyat Speaker Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia envisages.He told Daily Express in an exclusive interview in 2013 that the need for such a "Question Time" was on his mind even before the recent 13th General Election.He strongly felt that Malaysia should be on par with other Commonwealth countries which have put in place the Prime Minister's Question Time.
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Pandikar said "Question Time" is a half-hour session in the British House of Commons every Wednesday usually at 12.30pm (when in session), in which the Prime Minister answers questions on pertinent issues of the day.He also strongly felt that Parliament should have its own funding instead of having to depend on the executive for approval as this would make it seem like it is subservient to the Executive.Last week, Sabah DAP Chairman cum MP for Kota Kinabalu, Jimmy Wong Sze Pin expressed support for the proposal."I think Datuk Seri Najib should also emulate the British Prime Minister in directly facing the MPs who have questions for him to answer," he said.
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Jimmy claimed that Najib had a dismal attendance record in Parliament. The same was said of the attendance of PBS President Tan Sri Joseph Pairin Kitingan by critics. "During the first year I only saw him (Najib) in Parliament on two occasions, at the opening and at the end of the year. My colleague Bakri MP Teck Hwa claimed during the six years of his premiership Najib only attended 26 days," Jimmy said.
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Pandikar had reportedly told Najib that he wanted reforms to be implemented so that Parliament and the Speaker's Office would no longer appear as if they only acted on the orders of the government.Among other reforms he wanted was the removal of the Minister-in-charge of Parliamentary Affairs so that Parliament was fully in charge of its own administration.The Speaker had also said that he wanted the select committee system instituted, in addition to the five existing standing committees."Select committees, as practised in other parliaments, would enable better scrutiny and debates of new bills," he was quoted as saying.During his first term as Speaker (2008-2013), Pandikar had made a ruling that nobody would be allowed to hold a press conference in the lobby of Parliament. "There must be a proper place for the press should any minister want to issue a press statement," he said. A parliamentary press gallery is now made available for the press.He had tried to put the House in order by instilling the value of Parliamentary decorum in unruly MPs and getting them to adhere to the rules of Parliamentary procedure.A daily 30-minute live telecast of Question Hour was also introduced, although some MPs toook the opportunity to play to the gallery.Pandikar, now into his second term, had wished Parliament would be like a Gentlemen's Club, just like golf where the players respect each other and abide by the rules of the game, and not like a "kindergarten" where you need to control the "kids".His regret was that for most of the MPs, personal political agenda took precedence. Pandikar had said that all the time he was in parliament, Sabah was on his mind because he didn't want Sabahans to be embarrassed.He always had a list of "to Do" like insist on a deadline for matters to be settled like in India and hoped to come out with a book on his experiences which could serve as a guide for future Speakers.After 50 years, it took a Sabahan to press for and institute changes in the way that the Malaysian Parliament goes about its work.Although coming a little late, it might not even have happened had, by a twist of fate, Tan Sri Pandikar Haji Amin Mulia had not been recommended for the job after being dropped as a candidate in the 2008 elections.Still he said he was hesitant to accept the offer when Officers from the Parliament came all the way to his house to sign the offer letter because he was afraid that he was not up to the mark.Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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