KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 6 — Members of the administration have been urged to arrive early for Dewan Rakyat sittings instead of waiting for their turn to speak, ensuring smooth proceedings and avoiding absences that reflect poorly on the House.
Dewan Rakyat Speaker Tan Sri Johari Abdul said the admonition followed an incident during this morning’s sitting when questions could not be answered due to the absence of the relevant parties.
He said such situations arise when Members of Parliament (MPs) scheduled to ask questions cannot attend for unavoidable reasons, resulting in their questions being skipped.
“Naturally, the Speaker will skip the question, as happened this morning. The Minister or Deputy Minister is outside, unaware because, according to the order paper, their turn is still far off. When their turn comes, they are not present either, so the Speaker has to skip it as well. As such, this does not portray a good picture.
