Kuala Kangsar MP absent from Parliament since declaring support for PM

PETALING JAYA: Since pledging his support for Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s leadership on Oct 12, Kuala Kangsar MP has not attended any Dewan Rakyat sittings to date, according to the Parliament Hansard.

Checks on Hansard records as of Oct 25 showed that Datuk Iskandar Dzulkarnain Abdul Khalid was only present in the House on Oct 9, 10 and 11.

Despite declaring support for Anwar, Iskandar was also not present in the House when Budget 2024 was tabled by the Prime Minister on Oct 13.

Standing Orders 91 states that an MP shall inform the Parliament Secretary as early as possible of his inability to attend any meeting of the House.

However, during Parliament sittings from Oct 12 to 24, Iskandar only used Standing Orders 91 on Oct 19 and 24.

Iskandar has remained hidden from the limelight after declaring support for Anwar on Oct 12, but on Oct 17, he told The Star that he wasn’t pressured into supporting the unity government.

Iskandar also denied allegations that he was threatened with corruption charges.

According to Iskandar, he supported Anwar because he needed funds to be channelled to his constituents.

Iskandar said he held numerous engagement sessions with his constituents, from students to teachers, ehailing drivers, hawkers, and entrepreneurs, to hear their problems and concerns.

“From these sessions, I found that many of my supporters, friends and voters are tired and frustrated with the political instability. They want to see political cooperation exist in the name of stability.

“That is why I decided to support Anwar, and I hope that with this decision, the government will provide allocations to my area for the benefit and welfare of the people in my constituency,” said Iskandar, who is from Bersatu.

Perikatan Nasional secretary-general Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin had previously claimed that Iskandar was pressured into supporting the unity government, but this was denied by Anwar, who maintained that he had never reached out to the MP for his support.