Recently, Dewan Rakyat Speaker Datuk Johari Abdul said that there was a proposal for the Dewan Rakyat sitting to start at 2pm instead of the current 10am, while the Parliament sessions to be extended from the present 70 days to 100 or 110 days. Tuaran MP Datuk Seri Wilfred Madius Tangau questioned the rationale behind the proposal of starting at 2pm while supporting the extension of the days for parliament sessions.
I too, share in Datuk Wilfred’s concern. Firstly, our nation, like many other nations, is bracing for tough times ahead. There are many issues to be prioritized and made right. We are in fact racing against time to put Malaysia on the right path and on a firm foundation. So, why is there a need to reduce the overall meeting time?
From past records of MP’s attendance, we are also aware that a number of our MPs have been frequently absent from the Parliament sittings. In other words, can I say that they actually ‘ponteng kerja’? Yet, some leaders have been defending the high rate of absenteeism with all kinds of excuses.
I guess they have not understood why they are elected by the rakyat. What is the function of our Parliament? The function of the Parliament is to "pass Federal laws, make amendments to existing Federal laws, examine the government’s policies, approve the government’s expenditures and approve new taxes. Parliament also serves as the forum to discuss matters of public interest."
Our MPs must lead by example. If ordinary folks were to be absent from school or work frequently without good reasons, they will surely be reprimanded or even given the sack.
Shifting the meeting time from 10am to 2pm would likely result in our parliamentary sittings ending much later. This would encroach into their personal or family time which would be very unhealthy. As it is now, many struggle to have quality family time due to much time wasted on traffic jams and various last-minute issues that cropped up in their places of work. We must remember that a strong nation is the result of strong families.
Given the situation we are in now, we need to urgently put all our heads together so that Malaysia will be healthy again, economically, emotionally, mentally and socially. We want our nation to be up and strong again so that we can be a competitive force in the international arena.
Let us all work in such a manner that Malaysia, once regarded as the ‘Asian Tiger’ will roar out loud again.
Mei Wong
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