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KUALA LUMPUR – Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim needs to attend the special Dewan Rakyat sitting to debate the Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) report on Tabung Haji (TH) so that questions surrounding the report can be answered directly.
Bachok MP Mohd Syahir Che Sulaiman stressed that the Opposition was ready to debate the report but questioned the need to proceed with the sitting when the Prime Minister could not attend.
“Today’s sitting is only a ministerial briefing, with no motion, position or voting.
“We are ready. The Prime Minister could not attend. The Opposition asked for the sitting to be postponed. If the Prime Minister attends, we can debate it, so that there is accountability,” he said in a Facebook post on Tuesday.
Syahir said the Tabung Haji RCI issue was important and should be given room for debate to allow the parties involved to provide explanations and take responsibility for the matters raised.
He also questioned the difference in the process of making the Tabung Haji RCI report public compared with the usual practice for other RCI reports.
“RCI reports are usually tabled in Parliament first for debate, then made public, but the Tabung Haji RCI report was different, as it was made public earlier during the Negeri Sembilan state election, and only later tabled in Parliament,” he said.
Syahir therefore believed that the value of a debate in the Dewan Rakyat should be assessed based on the extent to which the parties involved could provide answers to the questions raised.
“Therefore, there is no difference between debating outside or inside the House, unless the Prime Minister is present to answer,” he said.
The special Dewan Rakyat sitting on Tuesday was held to debate the RCI report on the management and operations of the Tabung Haji Board from 2014 to 2020.
Anwar had previously apologised for being unable to attend the special sitting and said he would closely follow the debate.
According to his senior press secretary Tunku Nashrul Abaidah, the Prime Minister’s health condition had improved and he would continue physiotherapy treatment under the supervision of a team of medical specialists.
