KUALA LUMPUR: There is no necessity for the Opposition bloc to be present at the evening session of the Dewan Rakyat proceedings for the unprecedented debate on the Auditor-General’s Report 2021 Series 2, says Datuk Seri Dr Ronald Kiandee (pic).
The Beluran Member of Parliament said the motion to debate the report by the government was redundant.
"We are not boycotting the session, it is a matter of principle. It is because the motion is against Article 107 of the Federal Constitution.
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"The Parliament has failed to manage their Order Paper and they even completed the reading of the Bills last week in a hurry.
"And today, they (government), presented this motion to be debated; as to why we are not supporting the reading of the motion is because there is an element of redundancy," the Bersatu vice-president told The Star on Tuesday (June 6).
Earlier on Tuesday, chaos had erupted in the Dewan Rakyat following the move by Perikatan Nasional MPs to object to the motion to debate the audit report.
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The evening session of the Lower House saw the seats in the Opposition bloc were empty as the august House proceeded to debate the audit report that highlights irregularities during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Datuk Seri Takiyuddin Hassan (Perikatan Nasional-Kota Baru) told the Dewan Rakyat that the move to debate the report had never been done before and the report was previously only laid on MPs' tables.
Takiyuddin said there was no prior notice given to the Opposition on the Bills that would be tabled and they only found out about the order of business through the order paper.
The Opposition also claimed they did not even know which minister in the prime minister’s department had filed the motion to debate the audit report.
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Citing the Federal Constitution, Takiyuddin, who is the Opposition chief whip, said the Auditor-General had to present the annual audit report to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong before it was "laid before" the Dewan Rakyat.
He said the House must adhere to the provisions of the law that were in place.
"If there are no clear provisions only then the Speaker can do this, but that too must be in line with parliamentary conventions," he said at the Parliament lobby.
He said the PAC’s role is akin to the "court of Parliament”.
Dewan Rakyat Speaker Tan Sri Johari Abdul had approved for the audit report to be debated in Parliament.
