KUALA LUMPUR: All the 222 MPs must be sworn in on the first day of the first session of the 13th Parliament on June 24 or they will be prohibited from attending the Dewan Rakyat sittings and become ‘strangers of the house’, Dewan Rakyat Speaker Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia said yesterday.
He said no MP could stay away from the swearing-in without a valid reason.
Standing Order No. 1 states that all MPs must take the oath on the first day of the new session after the election of the speaker.
“If you don’t, it is a mockery of your own procedures as a ‘wakil rakyat’ (people’s representative), a mockery of parliament, the laws and the Yang di-Pertuan Agong,” he told reporters after opening a briefing session for MPs at Parliament House.
He was asked to comment on a claim that Opposition MPs planned to stay away from the swearing-in to demonstrate their boycott of the results of the 13th general election held on May 5.
Pandikar said MPs who did not take the oath within six months of the first day of the Dewan Rakyat sitting would be automatically disqualified as MPs.
Altogether, 111 MPs attended today’s briefing, among them the only Opposition MP, Er Teck Hwa (DAP-Bakri).
Asked about the absence of the other Opposition MPs, Pandikar said they could be probably engaged with more important matters.
On the affairs of the Dewan Rakyat, Pandikar said parliament would introduce the e-Risalat whereby all official statements on meetings, including annual reports of statutory organisations and government agencies, would be circulated to MPs on CDs, and such information could also be downloaded from the official website of parliament.
Earlier, in his briefing, Pandikar advised MPs to always observe the decorum of the house when expressing their opinion or during debates.
“Although the general election is over, the political temperature in the country is still high. There is no sign of a let-up. Many issues and problems have been raised and discussed through various channels,” he said. Pandikar said parliament had also asked the government to evaluate, revise and review the remuneration of MPs as the last revision was in 2004.
At the event, he also launched an e-book profile of the Malaysian parliament in the form of a CD for the use of the MPs. The e-book explains all matters related to parliament, including its functions and duties and the facilities available at Parliament House. — Bernama