The Deputy Prime Minister’s recent directive to Ministers, Deputy Ministers, Parliamentary Secretaries and Barisan Nasional MPs to attend every sitting of the Dewan Rakyat has focussed on the issue not only of Ministerial attendance in Parliament, but the discharge of Ministerial duties in Parliament.
The Dewan Rakyat has sat for 61 days this year, but parliamentary records show that there are five Cabinet Ministers who have not answered a single question during question-hour in Parliament throughout this year. These five Cabinet Ministers are the Transport Minister, Datuk Dr. Ling Liong Sik, the Primary Industries Minister, Datuk Dr. Lim Keng Yaik, the Information Minister, Datuk Mohamed Rahmat, the Human Resources Minister, Datuk Lim Ah Lek and the Housing and Local Government Minister, Datuk Dr. Ting Chew Peh.
These five Cabinet Ministers should show greater parliamentary diligence and responsibility in the rest of the budget meeting this year so that they will break their “zero” record of not having answered a single parliamentary question this year.
If the Prime Minister and the Deputy Prime Minister can each appear in the Dewan Rakyat at least twice this year to personally answer questions during question time, there is no reason why other Cabinet Ministers should do less.
In fact, the Prime Minister and the Deputy Prime Minister should show up in Parliament more often to answer parliamentary questions so as to set a higher Parliamentary standard for all Cabinet Ministers to follow.
Although the Works Minister, Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu leads the Cabinet Members for this year’s parliamentary proceedings in appearing in the Dewan Rakyat on nine days to answer parliamentary questions, it should be a higher record as the Dewan Rakyat had met for 61 days - out of which 50 days had question hour.
The record of the number of days each Minister had appeared in Parliament this year to answer parliamentary questions is as follows:
Youth and Sports Minister, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yasin - 7 days
Foreign Minister, Datuk Abdullah Badawi - 5 days
Entrepreneur Development Minister, Datuk Mustapha Mohamad - 4 days
Science, Technology and Environment Minister, Datuk Law Hieng Ding - 3 days
Apart from the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister, five Ministers had attended Parliament twice this year to answer parliamentary questions, and they are the Minister for International Trade and Industry, Datuk Rafidah Aziz, Minister for Culture, Arts and Tourism, Datuk Sabarrudin Cik, the Minister for Rural Development, Datuk Annuar Musa, the Minister for Land the Co-operative Development, Datuk Osu Sukam and the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Datuk Dr. Abdul Hamid Othman.
Seven Ministers had attended Parliament only once this year to answer parliamentary questions, and they are the Minister for Energy, Telecommunications and Posts, Datuk Leo Moggie, the Minister for Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs, Datuk Abu Hassan bin Haji Omar, the Minister for Education, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, the Minister for Defence, Datuk Syed Hamid Albar, the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Datuk Abang Mustapha, the Minister for Health, Datuk Chua Jui Meng and the Minister for National Unity and Social Development, Datin Paduka Zaleha Ismail.
The above study shows that the parliamentary record of attendance and seriousness of Cabinet Ministers in the discharge of their duties to Parliament is quite unsatisfactory, and there should be a total change in the attitude of the Ministers to end their shirking parliamentary responsibilities so as to give full meaning to the principle of Ministerial responsibility and accountability to Parliament.
Othersie, how can Ministers be accountable to Parliament when they frequently play truant from their Parliamentary duties?
(9/11/96)