By Sofia Nasir
SHAH ALAM, Feb 20 — The Parliamentary system needs to be streamlined to restore the people’s trust in order to prevent the institution from becoming a place for political polemics or embarrassing disputes.
Gombak MP Dato’ Seri Amirudin Shari said the effort is achievable by bringing back the Parliamentary Services Act, which was repealed in 1992, as a management guide.
“Previously, we had the Parliamentary Services Act which provided administration and management guidance, but when it was abolished, the Parliament became a place to express feelings.
“Furthermore, now, it seems it has become a place for constant political polemics and bickering,” he said during the royal address debate session at the Dewan Rakyat today.
According to Amirudin, all elected MPs are responsible to bring back the act to raise their value and dignity, in addition to restoring the power and position of the Speaker.
“If we can do this. I believe we can make the Dewan Rakyat a place to enact policies and not just express feelings,” he said.
The Parliamentary Services Act introduced in 1963 allows the Dewan Rakyat to act as an independent body, conducting its own affairs, electing staff and controlling its expenses.
The Parliamentary Services Act introduced in 1963 allows the Dewan Rakyat to act as an independent body, conducting its own affairs, electing staff and controlling its expenses.
Amirudin also proposed five new committees that could be created in Parliament to help smoothen government administration.
He said this included a selection committee of subsidiaries and statutory bodies in addition to a special selection committee of federalism.
“For example, in the federalism special selection committee, Selangor contributes 24.8 per cent to the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) but we only get back allocations between 5 to 10 per cent.
"In fact, Sabah and Sarawak also need to be given more allocations, in line with their positions as partners of the country.
“This is an example of a matter that can be raised in detail in the committees and not just expressed in the form of propaganda or popular speech when debating,” he said.
Amirudin, who is also the Menteri Besar of Selangor, proposed three more committees which are a public transport committee, a social mobility committee and an aging society committee.
According to him, the establishment of the five committees will allow Parliament functions to be strengthened and the government’s administration can be viewed more broadly.
On February 8, the Dewan Rakyat Speaker Datuk Johari Abdul was reported to want to strengthen the role of the Special Selection Committee in assisting the role of the ministry.
Johari said the committee, which is made up of representatives from the government and the opposition, can highlight recommendations and report check and balance processes.
Meanwhile, Amirudin said he fears that the withdrawals of Employees’ Provident Fund (EPF) money will have long-term effects on the economy and contributions for old age.
He explained that the matter was the main reason why the Unity Government did not allow further special EPF withdrawals despite the opposition’s insistence.
“Through a study presented during our recent resettlement programme, some contributors only have 68 cents a day to spend when they reach the age of 75 or 78.
"That is why, the government as well as the opposition need to balance responsibility and not be pulled into populist theories or be deceived by propaganda,” he said.
Previously, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim announced that the government was looking for solutions to reduce the burden of the people facing financial problems without having to withdraw their EPF savings.
