KUALA LUMPUR: Parliament should not become a venue for a “one-way briefing” without meaningful debate or policy decisions in the interests of Lembaga Tabung Haji (TH) depositors and the integrity of the country’s finances, says Datuk Seri Takiyuddin Hassan.
The opposition chief whip said it was “disappointing” that the Prime Minister, who had requested the special sitting to table the Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) report on TH, was absent to answer important questions and ensure a transparent accountability process.
“This prompted opposition MPs, who were fully prepared to debate this issue of public interest, to request that the sitting be postponed until the Prime Minister himself could attend and ensure that the accountability process could take place,” he said in a statement on Tuesday (Aug 11).
Earlier, PAS and Parti Wawasan Negara (Wawasan) MPs staged a walkout from the Dewan Rakyat after their request for the special sitting to be postponed due to the absence of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, who is recovering under medical supervision, was rejected.
Takiyuddin, who is Kota Baru Member of Parliament, said the RCI report on TH should first be tabled in Parliament under an embargo before being made public.
“However, in the case of the Tabung Haji RCI, the report was made public during the Negri Sembilan state election before being brought to the Dewan Rakyat.
“This reversal of the usual process clearly shows that the debate in the House now has little meaningful difference from debate outside Parliament, unless the Prime Minister attends in person to defend the report before elected representatives,” he said
