KUALA LUMPUR: The special Dewan Rakyat sitting on the Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) on Lembaga Tabung Haji saw a split emerge among the opposition, even as dozens of MPs staged a walkout.
Bersatu MPs, however, ignored the walkout staged by PAS and Wawasan MPs and stayed on to take part in the debate.
Bersatu president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said the party had showed that it was a responsible opposition, with six of its MPs taking part in the debate on the “important issue”.
“Even though there was criticism over the opposition walkout without participating in the debate, we (Bersatu) are also part of the opposition.
“We are a responsible opposition. The six MPs from Bersatu took part in the debate,” said the former prime minister.
The other opposition MPs had walked out after their request to postpone the special sitting – because Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim was absent – was rejected.
The Prime Minister is recovering in hospital after an abdominal hernia operation.
Bersatu deputy president Datuk Seri Dr Radzi Jidin said there was no need for “political drama” over the Prime Minister’s absence.
Supreme council member Dr Afif Bahardin said the party’s position was clear – elected representatives must remain in the House and demand answers when the savings and trust of millions of Muslim depositors are at stake.
He also expressed disappointment over the walkout, calling out senior Perikatan Nasional leaders who were in the Cabinet when the RCI was first initiated.
“Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin was in the Cabinet when the decision to establish the RCI was made, while Datuk Seri Takiyuddin Hassan was the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department.
“If they had agreed that an RCI was necessary to establish the truth, why are they now leaving the House when the findings are being debated?” he asked.
