Members of Parliament(MP) are supposed to be 'wakil rakyat'(peoples' representative) and they should really be representing the people, but alas not the case because in Malaysia, it seems that individual MPs simply have no FREEDOM especially when it comes to voting - they are 'ordered' by the parties as to how they should vote - and many will vote 'No' simply because they are in the Opposition, even if the government proposed law is good and just...
Umno
vice-president Mohamed Khaled Nordin has suggested that MPs should be
allowed to break ranks with their party during the Budget 2021 vote in
the Dewan Rakyat if they disagreed with the fiscal document.
If that be the case, we really do not have to have 222 MPs...even attending Parliament - just the relevant party leaders is sufficient - for they decide on how the MPs of their party votes - YES, NO or abstain. It is a sad state of affairs - which need to change.
Do the people even try to LOBBY individual MPs to take any position or raise any issue - many consider this a waste of time...as they have little faith in their own MPs ..for at the end of the day, they 'blindly' vote according to what their party leaders say as communicated by the 'party whip'..
BEST thing is that the people in Malaysia really do not know how individual MPs vote - WHY? Many votes are by voice votes - so no counting of votes even, and the assumption is that if the government party MPs are majority in the house, whatever government proposals just get passed.
REALLY, VOTES in Parliament need to be counted - so, people will know how many YES...how many NO...and how many abstained?
BETTER still, total transparency - so everyone will know how Kasthuri Pattoo or Zahid Hamidi or Lim Guan Eng voted .... then the people will know exactly which MP should be lobbied more to change their position.. How each and every individual MP voted must be disclosed. [In the UN, for every vote, we know which countries supported, which objected and who abstained - so, why can't we have the same for our MPs...
Anwar Ibrahim, after his expulsion from UMNO-BN, came around saying that he strongly opposed the use of ISA during Operation Lallang, during the crackdown on Al-Arqam, etc ... but nobody believed him for there was no public indication of the protest...no public utterance in Parliament ...
Likewise, when there is no clear record of how an MP voted, some MPs can come around and said that he voted like this or that - and we have no way of verifying this.
This lack of transparency ...and the belief that MPs simply have no choice but to vote as directed by the parties, makes MPs irrelevant on the ground - no need to waste time with MPs to convince him/her to change their position - so, for many people, an MP is just a 'Santa Claus' - someone who can hand out 'gifts' be it monies, contracts, etc. Many MPs also do not have public dialogues or Q&A sessions ...many also do not even issue public and/or media statements ...they have no blogs or websites where they share their thoughts and ideas ...so, many people simply believe that it is a waste of time asking questions or having serious discussions on the various issues...Come elections, many vote simply because he/she is this or that party candidate...
And we pay SO MUCH to this MPs from the Rakyat's monies - do they even deserve 10% of what we pay?
YES, UMNO VP is right time to FREE our MPs from the 'party shackles' - give them the freedom to debate according to the conscience, principles, values ...even if it may be an Opposition MP supporting a government position or the other way around.
Time to allow MPs to be TRUE peoples' representatives - no more 'slaves' to do as told by the Masters(the party leadership)
Umno veep suggests MPs break ranks if they disagree with Budget 2021
Umno vice-president Mohamed Khaled Nordin has suggested that MPs should be allowed to break ranks with their party during the Budget 2021 vote in the Dewan Rakyat if they disagreed with the fiscal document.
This is amid uncertainty whether Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin can secure enough support to pass his government's budget for next year.
Muhyiddin only commands the support of 112 MPs in the 222-member Dewan Rakyat. There are also two vacancies following the death of a government and opposition lawmaker.
"If an MP is convinced that the allocations and initiatives in Budget 2021 need to be improved or do not cater to the needs of targeted groups, then they should state their position.
"This is even if it means that their position will differ from the party's position.
"Taking a different position is not betrayal. The true betrayal would be to follow without giving any thought. The people did elect MPs who are detached from the pulse of the people," Khaled said in a statement.
Khaled added that his proposal was even more relevant for Umno.
"Every MP must make a decision that they think is best for the country's well-being, not only for their party's interest.
"What more when Umno is not (formally) part of Perikatan Nasional," he said.
Last month, Umno announced that it might quit the PN government if Muhyiddin, who is also the Bersatu president, did not offer Umno a "new deal".
Muhyiddin has not publicly indicated whether he will accede to their demands and Umno has yet to follow through with its threat.
However, the first Budget 2021 vote is expected to begin on Nov 26, raising the stakes.
With four days to the vote, Khaled stressed that MPs should support, reject or abstain on the vote based on their "conscience".
"Malaysia needs to move towards enriching the practice of bipartisan politics with a focus on forming a national consensus that cuts across political ideology for the sake of national interest.
"The people hope for the MPs to do their best; therefore, good ideas, including from the opposing side, will always be supported.
"Foolish ideas, including from our own party or partners, will be rejected," he said.
He added that requiring MPs to vote en bloc does not reflect a party's strength and instead stifles diversity.
"Budget 2021 has many good things, but it also needs to be recalibrated to make it better," he said. - Malaysiakini, 21/11/2020
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