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KUALA LUMPUR - Opposition Members of Parliament (MPs) staged a walkout from the Dewan Rakyat today and did not take part in the ministerial briefing session regarding the Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) report on the management and operations of Lembaga Tabung Haji (TH).
The walkout was staged after they expressed dissatisfaction with Dewan Rakyat Speaker Tan Sri Johari Abdul’s decision to proceed with the briefing without the presence of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
Following that, Johari allowed the opposition lawmakers to leave the sitting, which then continued according to the scheduled order of business.
"If anyone wants to leave, leave. If anyone wants to stay, stay. Because the public is watching you. Fine, those who feel they do not want to discuss this and do not think this is important, please leave,” he said, before requesting the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Religious Affairs), Dr Zulkifli Hasan, to continue with the briefing.
Earlier, Perikatan Nasional (PN) opposition chief whip Datuk Seri Takiyuddin Hassan proposed that the special sitting be postponed following the absence of Anwar and Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof, who are both receiving medical treatment for health issues.
"I raised this matter in line with a letter I sent to Tan Sri (Johari)'s Office, which was confirmed to have been received yesterday, requesting that the Special Parliamentary Sitting on the TH RCI report be postponed, and we that it be deferred to a more suitable date.
"The proposal was made taking into consideration the health factors of the government's top leadership, whereby the Prime Minister is undergoing medical treatment and the Deputy Prime Minister (Fadillah) is receiving treatment at the National Heart Institute," he said.
Meanwhile, Takiyuddin told a press conference after leaving the Dewan Rakyat that it would be appropriate if the tabling and debate of the TH RCI report could be attended by the Prime Minister once he resumes his duties, given that the issue is very important and of high public interest.
He said the presence of the Prime Minister in the Dewan Rakyat for the special sitting was very important to provide a comprehensive explanation, especially as the matter had itself been raised by Anwar.
It is understood that all opposition MPs will not take part in the entire special sitting.
The ministerial briefing on the RCI report on TH and the efforts measures taken to restore its financial position is being held during today's Special Dewan Rakyat Sitting.
On July 29, the RCI made public its 211-page report, which contained various findings on weaknesses in the institution's management and operations between 2014 and 2020, in addition to presenting 25 recommendations for improvements, of which 75 per cent had been implemented by TH as of July 30.
The government announced the establishment of the RCI in 2021, followed by the appointment of its members on Jan 20, 2022, and the RCI report was subsequently presented to the Yang di-Pertuan Agon on Aug 30, 2022. - BERNAMA
