KUALA LUMPUR: Ending Dewan Rakyat daily sittings by 8pm is one way of ensuring better MP attendance, said Dewan Rakyat Speaker Datuk Johari Abdul (pic).
“The latest we should go is 8pm unless it is a very urgent [matter],” he said.
If there are no pressing matters, he said the sitting could end at 5.30pm.
MPs’ attendance and a lack of quorum have been a constant issue in the Dewan Rakyat. Sittings had been halted at times due to a lack of quorum.
In an interview, Johari was asked how he could ensure a quorum and better attendance among lawmakers in the Lower House.
“You start at 10am and end at 8pm. That is quite reasonable. But if you go beyond 8pm, you are tired. That is why you have people missing from the House,” he said, adding that long hours are not productive.
Having a maximum cut off time would be helpful to MPs, he said, otherwise the sittings might even go on past midnight.
“How many times did we stop the clock [in the past]? It is not fair as the Bill would not be debated thoroughly. It is also not fair to the MPs,” he said.
During such incidents, the clock was stopped to allow the orders of the day to be continued past midnight.
In 2015 alone, the clock was stopped at least four times.
The last time the clock was stopped was in 2017 to enable debates on the Law Reform (Marriage and Divorce) (Amendment) Bill.
In 2021, the Seed Community for a Professional Parliament urged party leaders, coalitions and parliamentarians to ensure that the attendance of MPs is at least 50% and that quorum is always sufficient.