Selangor assembly sets new sitting record
Bede Hong - Jul 8
Two days and one-and-a-half hours - thats how long the Selangor state
legislative assembly sat in the seven months of this year.
After spending only a total of two days in session in the past seven months,
not many could imagine that the assemblys poor attendance record could get any
worse.
However, the state managed to exceed itself last Monday morning when the second
state assembly meeting was adjourned just one-and-a-half hours after it began,
taking almost all the 54 attending assembly representatives by surprise.
The state, which currently holds the dubious record of having the shortest
state assembly meetings nationwide, received wide criticism after Selangor
Menteri Besar Dr Mohd Khir Toyo called the meeting to a close after a brief
question session.
The meeting began at 10am and lasted an hour, whereby only four of the 169
questions posed were answered.
After a half-hour break, Khir abruptly proposed the motion for adjournment,
which was seconded by state exco Tang See Hang. Backbenchers were informed that
remaining questions would be replied by letter.
Shameful incident
Ng Suee Lim, the sole DAP assemblyperson present, called a press conference
immediately in protest.
The incident was publicised in several Chinese dailies on July 4.
It is shameful incident which shows that the ruling state government does not
give the democratic processes its proper due. How can anything get done? said
Ng when contacted yesterday.
We already have restricted time in the past to discuss and scrutinise policies
by the state government. Now, its beyond ridiculous, he said.
Asked why the meeting concluded so early, Tang had been quoted by the Chinese
dailies as saying that it showed the Selangor government is efficient.
The meeting is the latest to mar Selangors state legislative record. The
assembly meets three times a year - March-April, June-July and in November for
the budget meeting.
It last gathered on March 5, where the meeting was rounded up within two days,
excluding a day for the official opening ceremony. The Selangor assembly is
officially allocated five days for each meeting.
In comparison, the Penang and Perak governments allocates 12 to 14 days.
Asked if backbenchers knew beforehand that the meeting would end abruptly, one
BN backbencher, who declined to be named, replied that not all were aware.
The backbencher said he learnt that the MB had cut short the meeting to go on
work-related trip to China.
When contacted, Dr Kow Cheong Wei (MCA-Kinrara) confirmed this, adding that he
was a member of the MB's delegation for the China trip from July 5-8.
On what the trip was for specifically, Tan did not wish to comment, adding that
I will only speak after I return.
Malaysiakini was unable to reach Khir for comments.
Time allocation
According to suspended assemblyperson Teng Chang Kim (DAP-Sg Pinang), the
problems are not only limited to the allocated days for the meeting.
"The opposition leader here is only given half an hour to speak on the
budget. In Penang, he has more than three hours to debate the budget debate.
Here we are limited to half hour, with 10 to 15 minutes for ordinary members,
regardless of which party they are from, said Teng, who has been suspended
pending an apology for insubordination in the august House since April last
year.
Last Mondays incident is likely to raise criticism on the governance of the
state, and not just by the opposition.
In fact, a BN backbencher said that the representatives from the ruling
coalition were embarrassed at the situation, adding that some were upset.
We have to show our constituents that we are doing our job. We hope this does
not happen again. We need at least two days, he said.
He added that a repeat would jeopardise the standing and reputation of all
Selangor state representatives.
---------------------------------
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