When you get elected as a MP, the people's representative, everything else should be put on hold for at least 5 years (the length of your term as MP) - and this includes your current employment, profession, business, agricultural endeavors, etc... When you become MP, you become 'PUBLIC SERVANT' - and you get paid for it...
You cannot and should not be a part-time MP - but alas, it seems to be such a case for some...
You cannot and should not be a part-time MP - but alas, it seems to be such a case for some...
Thus, is having to perform a surgery the following morning a GOOD REASON to justify absence from Parliament session? I believe it is a very bad reason. The question we must be asking is why is he performing surgery during Parliament session (9 Mar - 10 April 2015). Now, it is important to note that Parliament was sitting on the 6th, 7th, 8th and 9th - so should our good doctor have even scheduled a surgery on any of those days?
The reasonable answer would have to be 'NO' - Was it also not being a bit irresponsible doing this when you know when Parliament is sitting?
Senarai Aturan Urusan Mesyuarat
Mesyuarat Pertama, Penggal Ketiga Parlimen Ketiga Belas (2015)
9 Mac 2015 - 9 April 2015
According to Malaysiakini report, the reason why this Member of Parliament was absent during the POTA vote, which certainly was NOT a good reason for a sitting MP. See what was reported as follows:-
'But perhaps one of the most interesting story for skipping the final Pota vote was that from DAP’s Kampar MP Dr Ko Chung Sen. Ko was in Parliament until midnight, two hours before the final vote and was compelled to leave because he had to perform a surgery on a critically ill patient at 9am in Ipoh on Tuesday....'
Every MP knows the date when Parliament sits - and they also know the agenda of each and every day of Parliamentary sitting. They also know that Parliamentary proceedings can go into wee hours of the following morning especially when it involves some Bill that this government will most likely desperately try to pass....
When you get elected as a MP, the people's representative, everything else should be put on hold - and this includes your current employment, profession, business, agricultural endeavors, etc...
You cannot and should not be a part-time MP - but alas, it seems to be such a case and so we we have a case of many being simply 'show face' MPs...
You cannot and should not be a part-time MP - but alas, it seems to be such a case and so we we have a case of many being simply 'show face' MPs...
Being a people's representative demands FULL-TIME commitment. Let us consider what a MP will have to do....
a) Prepare for Parliamentary sessions
- and that means considering the various Bills that the government intends to present, researching, getting constituent feedback, developing the arguments that you may be wanting to advance when the opportunity arises in Parliament, ....and yes LOBBYING other MPs both from the Opposition and the Government..., making statements, etc..By looking at the quality of intervention...or the lack-off, one can easily evaluate the state of preparedness of the MP
- Get ready and submit his/her 15 questions for each and every Parliamentary session
- and do much more ...see MPs and ADUNs should be FULL TIME peoples' representative ...
Now, Lim Kit Siang and Teresa Kok would be good examples - they are both 'full-time MPs', I believe. Not to be distracted by their other business...or businesses.
Look at the amount of time Kit Siang must be spending researching issues and coming up with statements - some say that Kit Siang sometimes can issue up to 4 'comprehensive well-reasearched' statements on different issues - and he use to make sure it also got translated into many different languages. He has a BLOG - and there are entries everyday... and really all MPs, Senators and ADUNs must have at the very least a website or a blog > the means in which they communicate with their constituents and the public at large...
Twitter is not good enough... it is short few comments - inadequate for the purpose of communicating a point of view, argument, etc...
Well, we Malaysians pay you MPs to do your job ...and you are paid really well >>> so no reason to be distracted with other employment, business, etc... so just be an MP - and be a GOOD MP...
Now our good doctor, from his reported comments in Malaysiakini - he is also failing his obligation being a good doctor and in so doing is putting his patients at risk? I say, either be a doctor and resign as MP. Or be a good MP, and put everything else on hold for 5 years. You cannot and should not be both ...
Many people come to you for 'enlightenment' - they want you to help them understand issues, arguments, etc...they want you to be able to talk about 'alternative' ways of doing things other than the BN way... They want to have serious dialogues with their MP... but alas many a MP is only able to smile, shake hands, and give 'donations'.... they are quick to walk away claiming 'prior engagements, etc' - well, the reason is that they fear that any prolonged conversation will reveal their personal failings, inaptitude, shortcomings....?
We strive for a first class Parliament - and for that we need first class Parliamentarians... totally dedicated to being MPs for their term of office...MPs need spend a lot of time studying and updating themselves with knowledge...
I say that if you cannot do your job as MP - please resign... it may be best to return back to your professional practice, businesses, etc... do not cheat the people for that is exactly what you do when you fail to be the BEST MP you can be - undistracted for the 4-5 years period of office as MP and PUBLIC SERVANT...
My quick comments on some of the other reasons advanced by absent MPs:-
'Prior commitments' - this is lame and cannot be accepted at all. You know when Parliament sits, so why are you making 'prior commitments' on these days??
Sick - If you genuinely suddenly fell sick, then this will be an acceptable reason - but when such Bills like POTA is up for voting, ...
Long-Time Illness/Cancer, etc - Well, it is sad but really these MPs must evaluate and see whether they can perform their duties for the constituencies...and if they cannot, best step aside and let another be elected....
Wife hospitalized have to look after young child - well, here I do not know for there may be other matters which I am not privy to. Not clear whether he is absent for that day, or for that entire parliamentary session. Maybe, the question to ask is that if you were an employer, would you accept the absence of your employee for such a reason... for really, this is job of an MP (attending Parliament is not some extra curricular activity...or hobby)..
- Get ready and submit his/her 15 questions for each and every Parliamentary session
- Get ready and submits his/her 'Private Member Bill' or Resolutions for Parliament, etc22 (4) Seseorang ahli tidak boleh bertanya lebih daripada 10 pertanyaan bagi Jawapan Lisan dan tidak lebih daripada 5 pertanyaan bagi Jawapan Bertulis dalam mana-mana satu mesyuarat Majlis. -PERATURAN-PERATURAN MAJLIS MESYUARAT DEWAN RAKYAT
- and do much more ...see MPs and ADUNs should be FULL TIME peoples' representative ...
Now, Lim Kit Siang and Teresa Kok would be good examples - they are both 'full-time MPs', I believe. Not to be distracted by their other business...or businesses.
Look at the amount of time Kit Siang must be spending researching issues and coming up with statements - some say that Kit Siang sometimes can issue up to 4 'comprehensive well-reasearched' statements on different issues - and he use to make sure it also got translated into many different languages. He has a BLOG - and there are entries everyday... and really all MPs, Senators and ADUNs must have at the very least a website or a blog > the means in which they communicate with their constituents and the public at large...
Twitter is not good enough... it is short few comments - inadequate for the purpose of communicating a point of view, argument, etc...
Well, we Malaysians pay you MPs to do your job ...and you are paid really well >>> so no reason to be distracted with other employment, business, etc... so just be an MP - and be a GOOD MP...
Now our good doctor, from his reported comments in Malaysiakini - he is also failing his obligation being a good doctor and in so doing is putting his patients at risk? I say, either be a doctor and resign as MP. Or be a good MP, and put everything else on hold for 5 years. You cannot and should not be both ...
"I operated on the patient without lunch. I was near collapse. We nearly lost the patient," Ko, who is one of Malaysia's few cardiothoracic surgeon, told Malaysiakini.
Many people come to you for 'enlightenment' - they want you to help them understand issues, arguments, etc...they want you to be able to talk about 'alternative' ways of doing things other than the BN way... They want to have serious dialogues with their MP... but alas many a MP is only able to smile, shake hands, and give 'donations'.... they are quick to walk away claiming 'prior engagements, etc' - well, the reason is that they fear that any prolonged conversation will reveal their personal failings, inaptitude, shortcomings....?
We strive for a first class Parliament - and for that we need first class Parliamentarians... totally dedicated to being MPs for their term of office...MPs need spend a lot of time studying and updating themselves with knowledge...
I say that if you cannot do your job as MP - please resign... it may be best to return back to your professional practice, businesses, etc... do not cheat the people for that is exactly what you do when you fail to be the BEST MP you can be - undistracted for the 4-5 years period of office as MP and PUBLIC SERVANT...
My quick comments on some of the other reasons advanced by absent MPs:-
'Prior commitments' - this is lame and cannot be accepted at all. You know when Parliament sits, so why are you making 'prior commitments' on these days??
Sick - If you genuinely suddenly fell sick, then this will be an acceptable reason - but when such Bills like POTA is up for voting, ...
Long-Time Illness/Cancer, etc - Well, it is sad but really these MPs must evaluate and see whether they can perform their duties for the constituencies...and if they cannot, best step aside and let another be elected....
Wife hospitalized have to look after young child - well, here I do not know for there may be other matters which I am not privy to. Not clear whether he is absent for that day, or for that entire parliamentary session. Maybe, the question to ask is that if you were an employer, would you accept the absence of your employee for such a reason... for really, this is job of an MP (attending Parliament is not some extra curricular activity...or hobby)..
Not all Pakatan absentees playing truant
On April 7, Malaysians woke up to news of a new
law allowing detention without trial of suspected terrorists, with no
judicial oversight, being passed.
Much of the outcry was not so much because the law was open to abuse, but because it was passed with a vote that was less than the total number of Pakatan Rakyat MPs.
The bill was passed 79 votes to 60, when there are 86 Pakatan MPs.
Many felt that Pakatan could have defeated the Prevention of Terrorism Bill (Pota) had there not been absenteeism and that the absentees were as villainous as those who tabled and passed the bill.
Others
believe this is misplaced, given that BN could call for reinforcements
whenever Pakatan MPs show up in force, as they had done in the past.
However, absenteeism from crucial votes at the Dewan Rakyat begs the question of whether all Pakatan MPs are truly committed to being a meaningful opposition and fulfilling the mandate given to keep the government in check and put their objections on record.
On Friday, after several days of research, Malaysiakini published a list of MPs that had either admitted to being absent or were suspected of being absent during the final vote on Pota.
During the research process, it was found that there were a number of MPs that had legitimate reasons to be absent or skip the vote which dragged on the 2.25am.
Severe illness
Several, like PKR’s Kuantan MP Fuziah Salleh are seriously ill. In February, it was reported that she is battling cancer. Not all cases of serious illnesses can be mentioned in this article due to privacy reasons.
PAS’ Tumpat MP Kamaruddin Jaafar had to attend to family matters, including a three-year-old child, after his wife was hospitalised. He had sought permission from PAS party deputy whip Shah Alam MP Khalid Samad to be excused from the sitting.
Others were just feeling ill that particular night. One of them was PAS’ Kota Raja MP Dr Siti Mariah Mahmud (right), who even showed her medical chit.
Another was DAP’s Gelang Patah MP Lim Kit Siang, one of most prolific MPs in the country and a senior parliamentarian.
According to DAP whip Anthony Loke, the 74-year-old was feeling under the weather that day and was at the Dewan Rakyat between 7.30pm and 10.30pm.
PKR’s Wangsa Maju MP Tan Kwee Keong revealed that he was still recovering from a brain surgery. He was reported to have suffered a stroke late February.
Despite their circumstances, Kamaruddin, Siti Mariah, Tan and Lim all voted on another crucial bill - the amendments to the Sedition Act 1948 - when the vote was called at 2.30am Friday.
According to Lim's minders, he retired to his Parliament office because he was still ill, and entered the House later to vote.
Other obligations
But perhaps one of the most interesting story for skipping the final Pota vote was that from DAP’s Kampar MP Dr Ko Chung Sen.
Ko was in Parliament until midnight, two hours before the final vote and was compelled to leave because he had to perform a surgery on a critically ill patient at 9am in Ipoh on Tuesday.
After
the surgery, Ko appeared again in Parliament on Tuesday. On Friday
morning, he stayed back until the final vote against the bill to amend
the Sedition Act and performed another surgery on the same patient that
afternoon.
"I operated on the patient without lunch. I was near collapse. We nearly lost the patient," Ko, who is one of Malaysia's few cardiothoracic surgeon, told Malaysiakini.
Others like PAS’ Pasir Mas MP Nik Aziz Nik Abduh said he left because he had prior engagements.
PAS' Rantau Panjang MP, who left earlier that night because she did not feel well, said she was not informed there was a bloc vote.
Readers can examine the reasons the MPs missed the final Pota vote by referring to the list below.
Additional reporting by Alyaa Azhar and Aidila Razak
(Editor's note: If your name has been wrongly-listed below, please contact us at editor@malaysiakini.com. If do not see the list below, you may want to disable your browser ad blocker or click here.)
- Malaysiakini, 12/4/2015, Not all Pakatan absentees playing truant
Much of the outcry was not so much because the law was open to abuse, but because it was passed with a vote that was less than the total number of Pakatan Rakyat MPs.
The bill was passed 79 votes to 60, when there are 86 Pakatan MPs.
Many felt that Pakatan could have defeated the Prevention of Terrorism Bill (Pota) had there not been absenteeism and that the absentees were as villainous as those who tabled and passed the bill.
Others
believe this is misplaced, given that BN could call for reinforcements
whenever Pakatan MPs show up in force, as they had done in the past.However, absenteeism from crucial votes at the Dewan Rakyat begs the question of whether all Pakatan MPs are truly committed to being a meaningful opposition and fulfilling the mandate given to keep the government in check and put their objections on record.
On Friday, after several days of research, Malaysiakini published a list of MPs that had either admitted to being absent or were suspected of being absent during the final vote on Pota.
During the research process, it was found that there were a number of MPs that had legitimate reasons to be absent or skip the vote which dragged on the 2.25am.
Severe illness
Several, like PKR’s Kuantan MP Fuziah Salleh are seriously ill. In February, it was reported that she is battling cancer. Not all cases of serious illnesses can be mentioned in this article due to privacy reasons.
PAS’ Tumpat MP Kamaruddin Jaafar had to attend to family matters, including a three-year-old child, after his wife was hospitalised. He had sought permission from PAS party deputy whip Shah Alam MP Khalid Samad to be excused from the sitting.
Others were just feeling ill that particular night. One of them was PAS’ Kota Raja MP Dr Siti Mariah Mahmud (right), who even showed her medical chit.Another was DAP’s Gelang Patah MP Lim Kit Siang, one of most prolific MPs in the country and a senior parliamentarian.
According to DAP whip Anthony Loke, the 74-year-old was feeling under the weather that day and was at the Dewan Rakyat between 7.30pm and 10.30pm.
PKR’s Wangsa Maju MP Tan Kwee Keong revealed that he was still recovering from a brain surgery. He was reported to have suffered a stroke late February.
Despite their circumstances, Kamaruddin, Siti Mariah, Tan and Lim all voted on another crucial bill - the amendments to the Sedition Act 1948 - when the vote was called at 2.30am Friday.
According to Lim's minders, he retired to his Parliament office because he was still ill, and entered the House later to vote.
Other obligations
But perhaps one of the most interesting story for skipping the final Pota vote was that from DAP’s Kampar MP Dr Ko Chung Sen.
Ko was in Parliament until midnight, two hours before the final vote and was compelled to leave because he had to perform a surgery on a critically ill patient at 9am in Ipoh on Tuesday.
After
the surgery, Ko appeared again in Parliament on Tuesday. On Friday
morning, he stayed back until the final vote against the bill to amend
the Sedition Act and performed another surgery on the same patient that
afternoon."I operated on the patient without lunch. I was near collapse. We nearly lost the patient," Ko, who is one of Malaysia's few cardiothoracic surgeon, told Malaysiakini.
Others like PAS’ Pasir Mas MP Nik Aziz Nik Abduh said he left because he had prior engagements.
PAS' Rantau Panjang MP, who left earlier that night because she did not feel well, said she was not informed there was a bloc vote.
Readers can examine the reasons the MPs missed the final Pota vote by referring to the list below.
Additional reporting by Alyaa Azhar and Aidila Razak
(Editor's note: If your name has been wrongly-listed below, please contact us at editor@malaysiakini.com. If do not see the list below, you may want to disable your browser ad blocker or click here.)
- Malaysiakini, 12/4/2015, Not all Pakatan absentees playing truant
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1 comment:
Charles, the comment "(the MPs) also know the agenda of each and every day of Parliamentary sitting" is not entirely fair or true.
The Aturcara Mesyuarat (agenda for the day) is only released on the Parlimen web site the night before (approx 10 -12 hours' before the start of Parliament at 10am), and sometimes after midnight (as little as 5 hours' beforehand). I don't think that is fair or adequate notice at all.
The Opposition MPs also would not have advance knowledge of how long the day's sitting would last for. It depends on how the Speaker runs the day's agenda, how much debate the Speaker allows, whether bills are being bulldozed through, whether the Government moves to extend past midnight by "stopping the clock".
As much as MPs have a duty to serve, the legislative process must also be fair and reasonable for the MPs to be able to perform, and for democracy to be upheld.
The focus should be on the need for parliamentary reform.
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