Saturday, December 03, 2022

2 day Dewan sitting absurd? Really 1st sitting of Dewan after GE- not the 1st Real Parliamentary Session? MPs yet to take oaths? Can anyone table anything before oath taking?

Problem with Standing Orders > 1st meeting after election has specific purpose, it is different from a usual Parliamentary Session/Meeting... see below, what the Standing Orders says? 

It was announced that Dewan Rakyat will sit on 19-20 December (2 days) - where is the time for even proper tabling and debate of the Budget? In this case, because of time constraints, MPs may be forced to pass whatever Budget - without even having time to study it or even debate it? Of course, no time to even answer questions....let alone debate on the King's speech.(But is this not 1st meeting after GE - not a real Parliamentary Session?)

Is Anwar worried about the vote of no confidence? Well, honestly, I do believe that PN or other Opposition MPs will choose not to deal with this vote of confidence at this time, as they too are worried that if the Budget is not passed speedily by the end of the year, there will be serious financial implication to the operation of government - salaries/pensions, utility payments, etc are all needed for the government to continue operation.

Hence, a vote of confidence makes sense if it comes after the Budget - or maybe at the beginning of the next Parliamentary Session. 

Will Anwar commit to always allow vote of confidence to be tabled and voted on, even at subsequent Parliamentary sessions? 

2 Days of Parliament - Remember there will be swearing in of MPs, choosing of Speakers of Dewan, choosing of leader of Opposition. Oh yes, then there is the KING's Speech, which normally will follow a debate amongst MPs - will this now be cancelled or limited? 

Now, having considered the Standing Orders of the Dewan Rakyat, what will be happening on 19/12/2022, is just 'the first day of meeting of the House after a general elections' - and what can be done during this meeting seems FIXED by the Standing Orders - election of Speaker, oath of Speaker, oath of MPs, election of Deputy Speakers and Motion directing the Inspector-General of Police to provide free passage to Members of Parliament(this Motion, I believe is for the IGP to ensure entry exit of MPs to Parliament without any hindrance) - That is all for the first meeting... There is no provision for adding anything to this agenda like vote of confidence, or even the tabling and passing of the Budget, is there? Can the words 'shall include' imply that other matters can be added to the agenda of the first sitting - reasonably that maybe election of the Opposition leader, but can a vote of confidence be included. I think not - there is a need for the calling of the next Parliamentary Session fast, possibly within days after the end of the first meeting of the House after general elections..

I believe the 1st meeting cannot even have on its agenda ..' bills and other government business. ..'

STANDING ORDERS
of the
DEWAN RAKYAT of MALAYSIA
PUBLIC BUSINESS

 1. On the first day of the meeting of the House after a general election, members having assembled at the time and place duly appointed and being seated in accordance with the provisions of Standing Order 2, the Setiausaha shall read the Proclamation of the Seri Paduka Baginda Yang di-Pertuan Agong by which the meeting was summoned, and thereafter the Order of Business on such day shall include

(a) the election of Tuan Yang di-Pertua;
(b) the taking and subscribing by Tuan Yang di-Pertua of the Oath in the form set out in the Sixth Schedule to the Constitution;
(c) the taking and subscribing by all members present of the Oath in the form set in the Sixth Schedule to the Constitution; 

(d)Election of Timbalan-timbalan Yang di-Pertua; and

(e) Motion directing the Inspector-General of Police to provide free passage to Members of Parliament,

and on the conclusion of such business the House shall stand adjourned to the date and time fixed by Seri Paduka Baginda Yang di-Pertuan Agong for the declaration of the causes of summoning a Parliament.

Then, the next Parliamentary Session(or really, the 1st real Parliamentary Session) will be summoned. There is a requirement that at least 28 days notice - but if  '...the public interest requires that the House can meet at an earlier date than that to which the House was adjourned, Tuan Yang di-Pertua shall give notice thereof forthwith and the House shall meet at the time stated in such notice...'

 11. (1) The first sitting of the House in each Session shall be held in such place on such day and at such hour as the Seri Paduka Baginda Yang di-Pertuan Agong may by Proclamation appoint.

(2) Subject to the provisions of paragraph (1), the Leader or Deputy of the House shall determine at least 28 days before the commencement of each Session, the dates on which the House shall meet in the Session:  

Provided that the Leader or Deputy Leader of the House may vary from time to time the dates so fixed.

(3) If, during an adjournment of the House, it is represented to Tuan Yang di-Pertua by the Prime Minister that the public interest requires that the House should meet at an earlier date than that to which the House was adjourned, Tuan Yang di-Pertua shall give notice thereof forthwith and the House shall meet at the time stated in such notice. The business set down for that day shall be appointed by the Prime Minister and notice thereof shall be circulated not later than the time of meeting.

This means that the next Session could be speedily held days after the end of the first meeting, surely before the end of 2022 - as the passing of a Budget is something that public interest demands. It is during this Parliamentary Session that a vote of no confidence(or a vote of confidence) can be tabled and voted upon. I hope that this vote will be counted - not a voice vote, where it is presumed that government MPs will vote as they usually do, and Opposition will do the same. All VOTES in Parliament should be counted - best also we know how each MP voted..

So, knowing the reality of no Budget being passed, why was the 1st meeting of Dewan Rakyat called sooner, reasonably days after Anwar was appointed Prime Minister on 24/11/2022? If it was, the first proper Parliamentary Session could have been called sooner...

Now, with the 1st meeting on 19-20 December, when will the 1st Parliamentary Session be called - 22, 26-29 December for the Budget, the vote of confidence, Bills and other business of Parliament? Remember, some minimal Budget need to be passed before the end of year...

I wonder whether the Prime Minister has the power to make earlier the 1st meeting - then the 1st meeting could even be held as early as  5th or 6th December...would Anwar do anything?

Remember, there is the Dewan Rakyat Standing Orders - which should be followed always, not as and when the PM or others like it. Remember this 1st meeting is all about electing Speakers/Deputy Speakers and taking of oaths of also the MPs...


 

Anwar’s motion of confidence eighth item when Dewan reopens

Parliament’s first orders of business to elect speaker, swear in MPs

Updated 1 day ago · Published on 01 Dec 2022 2:00PM

facebook sharing button
twitter sharing button
email sharing button
whatsapp sharing button
wechat sharing button
print sharing button
Anwar’s motion of confidence eighth item when Dewan reopens
The planned motion of confidence for Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim is placed as number eight on the agenda for the 15th Parliament session, which begins on December 19. – ALIF OMAR/The Vibes, December 1, 2022

by Qistina Nadia Dzulqarnain

KUALA LUMPUR – The tabling of a motion of confidence for Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim is number eight on the agenda on December 19 and 20 when the 15th Parliament begins.

In a notice on the upcoming sitting sent out to MPs, Dewan Rakyat Secretary Nizam Mydin Bacha Mydin said that the lower house’s first order of business will be to elect its speaker. 

The session will then proceed with the swearing in of elected lawmakers, the voting for the new deputy speakers, and the motion directing the inspector-general of police to provide free passage to MPs, with Anwar’s motion of confidence scheduled as the eighth item on the agenda.

The final item on the agenda is bills and other government business. 

During his maiden press conference after being sworn in as prime minister on November 24, Anwar, who is also the Pakatan Harapan (PH) leader, said that he will table a vote of confidence to put to rest any concerns on his administration’s legitimacy. 

He added that his unity government makes up the largest bloc in the Dewan Rakyat comprising lawmakers from PH, Barisan Nasional and Gabungan Parti Sarawak. 

After Anwar was named as prime minister, Perikatan Nasional chairman Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin challenged him to prove that he has enough support via a vote of confidence. Muhyiddin had been claiming that he had the statutory declarations of 115 MPs backing him to form a government. 

Anwar was appointed Malaysia’s 10th prime minister following nearly a week of political impasse in the nation stemming from the 15th general election resulting in no single coalition achieving the simple majority needed to form the federal government.

The current Dewan Rakyat speaker is Tan Sri Azhar Azizan Harun, who was became speaker in July 2020 after Perikatan Nasional chairman Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin became prime minister. – The Vibes, December 1, 2022  - Vibes, 1/12/2022



No comments:

Post a Comment