MPs told to give reasons for missing Parliament - The Star

PUTRAJAYA: April 22, 2008 By SIM LEOI LEOI

Barisan Nasional Members of Parliament will have to inform the office of the chief whip if they have to miss proceedings due to various reasons.

This is particularly so when the Government's majority in Dewan Rakyat has been reduced to less than two-thirds in the last general election.

Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said it had always been the practice for Barisan MPs to inform the chief whip's office if they could not attend sittings due to various reasons.

"But when you had a huge majority, of course, the situation was very comfortable for us.

"It's not that we didn't enforce this ruling then. Many MPs are responsible and will explain but some may not be able to attend because they are visiting other countries, such as being part of the entourage of the Prime Minister or Deputy Prime Minister's official missions overseas," he told reporters Tuesday after meeting with 11 Indonesian parliamentarians at his office here.

Najib, who is the chief whip for the Barisan coalition, said errant MPs who continue to absent themselves from Parliament without giving due notice might face disciplinary action.

"Warnings will also be issued to them. If they continue with their errant ways, they may not even be selected to stand for general elections in the future," he said.

The high rate of MPs' absenteeism, particularly those of Government backbenchers, during Dewan Rakyat sittings had often been noted in the past.

In the last general election, Barisan managed to secure 140 seats while the Opposition had 82, in comparison with the 198 seats the former used to have.

Twenty-nine MPs, including three ex-ministers and one former deputy minister, had also been come under fire recently for failing to submit any question to Parliament, which begins Monday.

Najib said although Barisan MPs were not compelled to submit any query, they were encouraged to do so as this would reflect their care for the rakyat (people) as well as being active in Parliament's proceedings.

"However, the number of queries is actually more than the question and answer time allotted for it. In every sitting, only some 12 questions in the list would actually get fielded so there are enough questions for this new Parliament," he said.