PETALING JAYA: Raise your concerns during the debates in the Dewan Rakyat if you are unhappy with a ministry’s written reply, says the Speaker’s Office to MPs.
It said the Speaker’s job was to ensure questions and answers comply with the Standing Orders.
“The Speaker has no authority to compel ministers to provide a proper response or to judge whether an answer is satisfactory,” it said.
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The Standing Orders, which regulates parliamentary proceedings, allows MPs to question ministers on matters within their official functions and it also allows a minister, who may, with the Speaker’s approval, decline to answer a question on grounds of public interest.
The purpose of these avenues is to give MPs a platform to hold the government to account on the record, where a minister can be pressed on the matter publicly and a response heard by the House.
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The Speaker’s Office said the Standing Orders sets no time limit for answering a written parliamentary question, although by practice, ministers get to reply before the meeting ends.
“Under the Standing Orders, ministers must answer questions within their official functions,” it added.
“However, in practice, the Speaker may ask for a written reply within five days,” it said when contacted.
It said each MP may file up to five written questions, and most submit their full quota.
A senior ministry official, speaking on condition of anonymity, claimed the tendency towards “safe” parliamentary answers was systemic, reflecting a structural preference for caution over clarity.
“Safe parliamentary answers really cannot be avoided,” the official said.
Improving the quality of replies would require more dedicated statistical work, which could delay responses further, the official added.
Another official from a different ministry said that some of the questions by the MPs required responses from other ministries and agencies as well.
“Some issues needed further scrutiny before any concrete resolution is made.
“Sometimes, the question involves the need for a response from many agencies and ministries, and if a wrong answer was given, it could cause dissatisfaction among the other ministries,” he added.
