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KUALA LUMPUR: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim stresses that he has never avoided answering any questions raised by opposition MPs in the Dewan Rakyat.
Bernama quoted Anwar as saying that all questions directed at him during Minister’s Question Time (MQT) every Tuesday, reserved for the Prime Minister, had been addressed either by himself or the relevant ministers.
However, he noted that some MPs continue to repeat questions, even though explanations have already been given several times.
"I answer all the questions raised... if anyone claims I’m avoiding them, I’m not avoiding.
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"Ask me any question, I will not avoid it,” he said before answering questions in the Dewan Rakyat on Tuesday (Nov 11).
Earlier, before the MQT session began, Perikatan Nasional’s Chief Whip Datuk Seri Takiyuddin Hassan (PN-Kota Baru) questioned why today’s list of questions did not include any from the opposition.
He raised the matter under Standing Order 24A, saying it was unreasonable for all questions to come solely from the ruling side.
According to Takiyuddin, questions submitted by the Opposition had not been selected for several weeks.
Speaker Tan Sri Johari Abdul clarified that he alone was responsible for selecting the questions.
“Up until the deadline, the Opposition only submitted one question, while government MPs submitted eight,” he said.
Johari added that he reviewed all the questions and found that the Opposition's query had been addressed last week.
He also stressed that he had the right to choose which questions are answered, and suggested that the Opposition submit more queries to give him a wider range of options.
