PETALING JAYA: All elected representatives should be subject to the same rules that apply to those in the civil service, says Senate president Rais Yatim.
He said they should be held accountable for their actions, adding that such accountability was important so that if any of them was charged in court, they can be suspended just like any other public servant.
“If a public servant is charged, he or she is suspended from duties until their case is disposed of. However, as we can see today, a Cabinet member can continue working despite being charged,” he told FMT.
Rais said this was against the spirit of the Federal Constitution, where all are equal in the eyes of the law.
He called for all MPs and senators to be subject to the same General Orders as that which cover civil servants, especially on matters related to court cases.
Separately, he said all MPs should also go through an etiquette enhancement course as part of the proposed parliamentary reforms that the government hopes to implement.
He said this would be on top of the hike in fines for unparliamentary and sexist language from the present RM10,000.
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