2020 has been shameful year for Malaysian Parliament as it repeatedly put the clock of parliamentary scrutiny of the Executive back instead of going forward like other Commonwealth Parliaments in parliamentary reforms

The year 2020 has proved to be a shameful year for the Malaysian Parliament as it repeatedly put the clock of parliamentary scrutiny of the Executive back instead of going forwards like other Commonwealth Parliaments in parliamentary reforms.

Yesterday alone, there were four incidents which should make responsible and reform-minded Parliamentarians hold their heads in shame.

There was firstly the alleged miscount in the division voting on Monday during the committee stage of the 2021 Budget debate, where Tasek Gelugor MP, Shahbudin Yahya, acting as teller for Block C, was alleged to have mistakenly marked Nazri Abdul Aziz (BN-Padang Rengas) as being in support, when he was absent.

There was no miscount. Shahbudin had simply disregarded the responsibility and trust vested on him as a teller in division voting in Parliament as provided in Standing Orders 47(1) which reads:

“When a division has been ordered, the Tellers shall ask each member separately how he desires to vote, and the Setiausaha shall enter on the Votes and Proceedings a record of each member’s vote and of the members who abstained from voting.”

If Shahbudin had carried out his duties as teller to “ask each member separately how he desire to vote”, he would could not have marked Nazri as having voted in support, as Nazri was not in the House.

Shahbudin was not truthful in his clarification to the House and he should be suspended as MP for his dishonesty to Parliament.

Secondly, the Deputy Plantation Industries and Commodities Minister, Willie Mongin made an obscene gesture in the Dewan Rakyat, showing his middle finger to the Opposition MPs, and he had subsequently compounded his unparliamentary conduct by dishonestly denying that he had shown an indecent gesture.

The video recording of the parliamentary proceeding is proof that Willie Mongin had shown the indecent gesture.

Willie should be suspended as Deputy Minister and MP for his unparliamentary conduct.

Thirdly, the Minister for Plantation Industries and Commodities, Khairuddin Aman Razali, was guilty of unprecedented parliamentary irresponsibility when he did not personally reply in the debate on his Ministry’s allocation in the 2021 Budget although he was in Parliament, but came in to the Parliament Chamber to vote when divisional voting was called on his Ministry’s allocation.

This is kakistocracy at its worst – where the Minister dared not face the MPs to answer criticisms about his Ministry but only to vote.

Fourthly, the reply by the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Takiyuddin Hassan, that the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia’s (Suhakam) 2019 annual report will not be tabled for debate in Parliament this year, although history was made last year when for the first time in 19 years, the Suhakam annual report was debated in Parliament on Dec. 5, 2019.

On October 27, 1977, when winding up a motion asking Parliament to ratify the International Covenant of Civil and Political Rights 1966, I proposed the setting up of a Human Rights Commission in Malaysia.

It has taken over two decades for Malaysia to set up the Human Rights Commission (Suhakam). Almost another two decades have to elapse before Suhakam’s annual report was debated in Parliament last December.

Now, we are back to square one and we have regressed to ignoring the Suhakam report as in the previous Barisan Nasional time.

In one fell swoop, Takiyuddin was rendered null and void the opening paragragh of the Suhakam Chairman, Tan Sri Othman Hashim in his message for the 2019 Suhakam annual report, which states:

“The year 2019 was a special year for SUHAKAM, as SUHKAM celebrated its 20th Anniversary on 9th September and saw the debate of its annual report in Parliament for the first time, an important milestone for SUHKAM.”

It was a “special year” for “an important milestone” but for one year only!

I urge the Muhyiddin Cabinet to reverse Takiyuddin’s decision and resolve that parliamentary debate of the Suhakam annual report should be held every year, and that Malaysia should be moving forwards and not backwards in the human rights struggle of mankind.

Parliament has a new Speaker whose background had given hope that under his guidance and leadership, the Malaysian Parliament will finally catch up with other Commonwealth Parliaments in ushering in parliamentary reforms and innovations, but this seems to be misplaced hopes and aspirations.

In the mid-nineties, we led the world in conceptualising a MultiMedia Super Corridor but more than two decades later, while other countries are forging ahead with virtual parliamentary proceedings, we can only find all sorts of excuses to explain why Malaysia cannot have a virtual Parliament.

Is the Malaysian Parliament going forwards or backwards?