KUALA LUMPUR: Tan Sri Johari Abdul is considering the possibility of making MPs’ attendance records public on the Parliament website. The idea was raised by his predecessor, Tan Sri Azhar Azizan Harun, and although Johari agrees with it, he needs to examine the legal and procedural aspects first. There are suggestions to display the MPs’ hourly attendance.
“But of course, I have to look at the legal issues, whether it is possible or not, but if you ask me personally, yes it should be, but again I have to look into the mechanism or the law as well as the Standing Orders,” Johari said during the Concorde Club meeting on October 6.
The Concorde Club is an informal gathering of editors, senior journalists, politicians, and policymakers. Among the attendees were newly-appointed Bernama chairman and Star Media Group advisor Datuk Seri Wong Chun Wai, and previous guests have included Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow, Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin, former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Raza, and ministers Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan and Anthony Loke.
Johari believes it would be fair for the public to have access to the attendance records of their elected representatives. He emphasized the need to establish rules regarding working hours and expectations for MPs in Parliament to ensure transparency and accountability.
“I think it is quite fair because at the moment we do not have that system. So, it’s free and easy, you can come in and clock-in in the morning, then you go for coffee and come back in the Dewan, fight a bit and then go out or simply go home,” the Speaker explained.
In August, Johari expressed his intention to reduce MPs’ allowances if they consistently failed to attend Parliament. This measure aims to discourage absenteeism among MPs and may even lead to position removal for those absent for six months. A stricter mechanism involving the suspension of allowances for a specific period of absence is also being considered.
Some critics argue against “treating MPs like school students,” but Johari stressed that elected representatives have a moral duty to attend Parliament as they sought public votes to secure their positions.
Credit: The Star : News Feed
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