‘High time for proper PMQT’

PETALING JAYA: It’s time to formalise the Prime Minister’s Question Time (PMQT), says former Dewan Rakyat Speaker Tan Sri Mohamad Ariff Md Yusof.

“I think the time is ripe to formalise this. It will be good and timely,” he said.

During his tenure as Speaker, he said he made it a rule that the Minister’s Question Time (MQT) should be dealt with by the minister concerned.

“We also considered introducing the PMQT, but we did it gradually by persuading then prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad to be present personally to answer some questions,” he said yesterday when contacted.

He said he did not believe time is an issue for ministers when it comes to attending Parliament to address questions from lawmakers.

“MQT and PMQT will only involve one attendance per week,” he said.

Mohamad Ariff served as the Dewan Rakyat Speaker between July 2018 and July 2020.

Last month, Senate president Senator Tan Sri Dr Rais Yatim said the attendance of ministers would be recorded in the coming Dewan Negara meeting.

He said the move, in accordance with Article 43(3) of the Federal Constitution, was being done as a show of collective responsibility by the Cabinet to Parliament.

On Jan 7, Pakatan Harapan communications director Fahmi Fadzil said the coalition’s presidential council had discussed a proposal to dedicate a PMQT session for the Prime Minister to answer questions during Parliament sessions.

Fahmi, who is the Communications and Digital Minister, said a day would be allocated for questions that are specifically for the Prime Minister to answer.

Datuk Seri Dr Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar, a former minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, said a PMQT proposal had been raised previously but was rejected by the former administration.

“Based on tradition, time should be allotted for the purpose as there are many issues that the rakyat want to hear about from the Prime Minister himself,” he said when contacted yesterday.

Wan Junaidi, who was in charge of Law and Parliament, said the PMQT is practised in the British Parliament.

“I suggest that the questions be kept brief without the need for the answers to go into lengthy details.

“In Britain, the Prime Minister is able to answer at least 15 questions if the questions and replies are kept short,” he added.

Likewise, he said MPs directing questions to the Prime Minister should not use the opportunity to seek political mileage.

“These MPs should be blocked if they start behaving like kids playing up issues,” he added.

On making it compulsory for a minister to answer questions in Parliament, Wan Junaidi said this should be done unless the minister had a good reason for his absence.

Citing past experience, he said there were ministers, including a senior minister, who avoided facing questions from MPs.

“Some of them tried to avoid doing so as they were not competent in the subject matter. They were also worried that their replies would be turned into political issues,” he said.

He said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim should consider making it mandatory for his ministers to answer questions and not delegate the task to their deputies.“If they want to be ministers, they must be prepared to face the firing squad in terms of being questioned in Parliament.

“If their names are slotted, they must be present to answer. If the minister is absent more than once, then he should be demoted,” Wan Junaidi added.