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Reminder to Abdullah to seek parliamentary sanction for the additional RM10
billion 8th Malaysia Plan allocation in keeping with his pledge
to uphold the doctrine of separation of powers between the legislature, the
executive and the judiciary Media Conference Statement by Lim Kit Siang (Petaling Jaya, Friday): I am surprised that the Order Paper which has been sent out to Members of Parliament on the parliamentary business to be transacted next week makes no mention of any government request for parliamentary approval for the additional RM10 billion allocation under the Eighth Malaysia Plan. I wish to remind the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, who is also the Finance Minister, to to seek parliamentary sanction for the additional RM10 billion 8th Malaysia Plan allocation in keeping with his pledge to uphold the doctrine of separation of powers between the legislature, the executive and the judiciary – as the Executive should not circumvent Parliament by not asking for parliamentary approval for the additional RM10 billion allocation at the first available opportunity.
Last week, Abdullah announced that the RM10 billion allocation will be in addition to the RM49.4 billion which the Government has set aside for development projects until the end of 2005, i.e. raising the total Eighth Malaysia Plan development expenditures to RM170 billion.
Although Abdullah said that the additional RM10 billion allocation will be used on priority projects which achieved the socio-economic agenda and Vision 2020 and not for mega projects, the additional allocation must be subject to the scrutiny, debate and approval of Parliament.
Although the 11th Parliament started in May with both sides of the parliamentary divide agreeing that we should aim to establish a “First World Reform Parliament” in keeping with the Prime Minister’s call for a “First World Infrastructure, First World Mentality”, Malaysians have still to see the first fruits of such parliamentary reform and modernization.
The second meeting of Parliament will begin on Monday on July 5, but so far, only two of the four Parliamentary Standing Committees had met – namely the Parliamentary Accounts Committee and the Committee of Privileges. The House and Standing Orders Committee have not had any meeting during the parliamentary recess.
Both the Standing Orders Committee and the House Committee should meet urgently to submit reports and recommendations of parliamentary reform and modernization to Parliament for debate and adoption.
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