Regardless of whether parliament should sit for a whole year, reforms must be carried out immediately to ensure that MPs are given adequate opportunity to address issues of national importance together with the necessary support for them to perform professionally.
Dewan Rakyat Deputy Speaker Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar proposed that parliament sit for a whole year to give MPs more time to debate and pass bills. This year, Parliament was originally scheduled to sit for 71 days although the recently concluded sitting was extended by two days.
As a result of the political tsunami of March 8, the recent parliamentary sitting saw a big surge of interest in parliament. MPs from both sides of the divide are clearly more active in debates than ever in part because of the increased number of opposition members, but also as a result of the reduction in the number of Barisan Nasional frontbenchers from 91 to 68 members.
This means that more MPs will be fighting for their chance to speak (frontbenchers are only allowed to represent the government’s stance). Before we mull over the suggestion for an ‘all year long’ parliamentary sitting, I would like to offer three suggestions for the immediate reform of parliament, making it more relevant and therefore more efficient.
First, the weekly meeting of party whips proposed by Minister in the PM’s Department Nazri Aziz should be implemented and institutionalised as soon as possible. No mature parliament runs its affair in a free-for- all style.
In a mature parliament, the government whip will negotiate with his counterpart in the opposition to set the parliament’s agenda. The whips then arrange MPs in their respective parties to participate in parliamentary debates in the most effective manner.
Second, a system of parliamentary committees is needed. Again, no mature parliament conducts its affairs without a committee system to screen bills and monitor ministerial performance. In fact, experts on parliamentary matters would generally agree that the real work of MPs is done within these committees.
Third, a ‘second chamber’ a la Westminster Hall is worth considering. To accommodate the need for MPs to address the house, the Australian and British parliaments created a second chamber, called the ‘Main Committee’ and ‘Westminster Hall’ respectively.
The second chamber is a smaller hall - chaired by deputy speakers or the speaker’s assistants - that allows MPs to speak and have their speeches recorded in the Hansard, as well as to be answered by ministers.
The only caveat is that the second chamber does not pass laws. With weekly whips meetings, an effective committee system and an additional chamber in place, the Dewan Rakyat’s business will be conducted in a more efficient manner without jeopardising the MPs’ chances of representing the rakyat adequately.
The writer is DAP MP for Bukit Bendera.
