Mahathir leads oath-taking
Published on: Tuesday, July 17, 2018
Kuala Lumpur: A total of 220 of the 222 MPs took their oath of office in the Dewan Rakyat at the first day's sitting of the first meeting of the first session of the 14th Parliament.The two absent MPs were Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, the MP for Pagoh and President of Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (PPBM), and Sipitang MP Hafez Musa.Muhyiddin is on medical leave, recuperating after having undergone surgery to remove a pancreatic tumour.
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Prime Minister and Langkawi MP Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who is the Leader of the House, was the first to take the oath of office. The statesman has made a historic return to Parliament after 15 years in retirement.Then, Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, who is the Pandan MP, took her oath, followed by the Cabinet ministers, deputy ministers, other Pakatan Harapan (PH) MPs, the opposition MPs, MPs from Sabah and Sarawak and the Independent MPs.All eyes are bound to be on the proceedings of the 14th Parliament because, for the first time in the history of the country, there has been a transition of power to Pakatan Harapan (PH) from the Barisan Nasional (BN) which has ruled the nation for 61 years.PH, led by Dr Mahathir, formed the federal government after winning the 14th General Election on May 9, securing 116 parliamentary seats to defeat the BN. PH comprises PPBM, PKR, DAP and Amanah.
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Parti Warisan Sabah, with eight parliamentary seats won at GE14, has stated its support for PH to raise the number of seats to 124. Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS), with 19 parliamentary seats, has said it is friendly to the BN.Earlier, retired Court of Appeal judge Datuk Mohamad Ariff Md Yusof, 69, was elected and took his oath of office as the new Speaker of the Dewan Rakyat.
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Datuk Mohd Rashid Hasnon (PH-Batu Pahat) and Nga Kor Ming (PH-Teluk Intan) were elected as the new deputy speakers.The Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Sultan Muhammad V, is scheduled to simultaneously open the Dewan Rakyat and Dewan Negara meetings tomorrow.The Dewan Rakyat will sit for 20 days until Aug 16 and the Dewan Negara for 15 days, from Aug 20 to Sept 12.Mohamad Ariff pledged to carry out his duties wholeheartedly and independently without external influences to preserve the dignity and honour of the parliamentary institution.In his maiden speech, he said he would strive to raise the integrity of the parliamentary institution for a more effective, just and fair parliamentary democracy culture in the country.Mohamad Ariff said as the country's ultimate legislative body with impeccable integrity, Dewan Rakyat complemented other branches of government administration."As such, the role of Parliament as a platform for free debate must be appreciated and efforts to improve the process of legislating and amending laws must be continued so that the institution will continue to be respected by all levels of society," he said at the first meeting of the first term of the 14th Parliament session here.His nomination as the ninth Speaker of the Dewan Rakyat was proposed by Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahahtir Mohamad and was seconded by Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail.Mohamad Ariff also called on all Members of Parliament (MPs) to carry out their duties with honesty as well as in a responsible manner and engage in respectful debates based on the concept of parliamentary democracy."I believe that the words and actions of all MPs will ensure that we will be able to achieve the lofty goals of the House," he said.He said the Dewan Rakyat sitting this time around would garner world's attention as it was the first after the country's peaceful transition of power took place.Mohamad Ariff said the historical transition of power saw Malaysians chose to "go against the global political flow" by putting their trust in the country's democratic system to change, which had also become an inspiration to other countries.He expressed his gratitude to the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister for proposing and seconding his nomination as the Dewan Rakyat Speaker.Mohamad Ariff also expressed his appreciation to the former Dewan Rakyat Speaker Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia as well as elected representatives of the last parliamentary term for their efforts in upholding the country's democratic culture.Later when speaking to the media, Mohamad Ariff assured that parliamentary reform was on his agenda, but that he needed some time to look through what needed reforming and improvement.He said he would also review the current limit of three personnel from each media to cover parliamentary proceeding and would also consider lifting the ban on media from loitering in the lobby area."In fact, I'm having a meeting today with the minister in charge Datuk Liew Vui Keong," he said.Speaking on the walkout staged by the opposition MPs who were protesting his appointment, Mohamad Ariff said he felt the issue was resolved and that no action would taken against them."This is the new Malaysia. We believe in democratic rights and freedom of expression and speech," he said.On allegations by the opposition that his appointment was illegal as it was made after the deadline of July 2, Mohamad Ariff maintained that his appointment was legal, and was done 14 days before the session started, as required.Batu Pahat MP Datuk Mohd Rashid Hasnon and Teluk Intan MP Nga Kor Ming were elected as the deputy speakers by secret ballot.Mohd Rashid and Nga received 171 and 124 votes, respectively, and beat Beluran MP Datuk Seri Ronald Kiandee, the candidate nominated by the opposition, who garnered 93 votes.Dr Mahathir proposed the nomination of Mohd Rashid and Nga while Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi proposed the nomination of Kiandee.Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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