Mohd Shahar Abdullah
SERIAN: The Parliament sitting which begins tomorrow (July 13) should not be a session for politicking by the opposing sides in the august House, said Deputy Finance Minister Mohd Shahar Abdullah.
“Let it not be a session for both sides to blame each other, but a session where MPs, whether from the government or opposition, debate on the best interests of the people,” he said when commenting on his expectations for the parliamentary session, which will run until Aug 27.
Shahar, who is Paya Besar member of parliament, was met by reporters after a working visit to SMK Tebakang near here yesterday.
He said all members of parliament would hopefully prioritise the problems faced by the people during their debates.
Shahar said it is more important to debate on how the government can further help the people in facing hardships due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
“We are now in the recovery phase. Under (Prime Minister) Tan Sri Muhyiddin’s leadership, we have overcome three phases namely resolve, resilience, and restart. So let us focus on the recovery phase. Both MPs, be they from government or opposition, should debate and give good ideas so that we can prepare for the next phase,” he said.
This parliamentary session is expected to be the biggest test of support for Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, whose Perikatan Nasional (PN) government holds a slim majority. It will also be the first time Parliament fully convenes since the PN government was formed. An earlier session in May only saw a speech by the Yang Di-Pertuan Agong due to concerns over the Covid-19 pandemic.
A motion is expected to be tabled to replace Speaker Tan Sri Mohamad Ariff Md Yusoff, who was appointed under the previous Pakatan Harapan (PH) government.