KUALA LUMPUR: A sudden, unannounced shift in the Order Paper left Deputy Health Minister Datuk Hanifah Hajar Taib unable to enter the Dewan Rakyat chamber in time for Question Time on Thursday (Nov 5).
The Health Ministry issued a statement clarifying the incident after Opposition MPs criticised the absence of both Hanifah and Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad, with Datuk Mas Ermieyati Samsudin (PN-Masjid Tanah) calling it disrespectful to Parliament.
According to the ministry, the second scheduled question had to be postponed at the last minute because the asking MP, Dr Siti Mastura Muhammad (PN-Kepala Batas), arrived late.
"This delay caused the order of proceedings to move abruptly to the third question," the ministry stated. "The sudden change without any prior notification from the Dewan Rakyat secretary was the main reason the Deputy Health Minister could not enter the House on time."
The ministry added that Hanifah was already at the Parliament building holding a final briefing with ministry officials outside the main chamber when the proceedings moved ahead of schedule.
Explaining Dr Dzulkefly’s absence, the ministry said the minister was away on official duty in Melaka alongside Works Minister Datuk Seri Alexander Nanta Linggi for a hospital project handover.
Following the absence during Question Time, Deputy Speaker Alice Lau bypassed the query and moved to the next item on the agenda, rejecting a request by Wangsa Maju MP Zahir Hassan to defer his question until a minister arrived.
Apologising for the technical delay, the ministry reaffirmed its respect for parliamentary decorum and assured that a comprehensive written response would be submitted to the Wangsa Maju MP as soon as possible.
