Parliamentary reforms are at the top of the agenda for DAP chief and Ipoh Timor member of parliament Lim Kit Siang, who will return to his former stomping grounds with vigour come May 17.

He is all for making the 11th Parliament "the most exciting and historic" one in the nation's history, with such ideas as televising proceedings 'live', extending question hour to two hours, and allocating certain days every week to deal specifically with matters involving the opposition.

He also suggested that new parliamentary select committees should be set up on information technology, human rights, women's agenda, environment, mass media and corruption. They should produce annual reports, the scope of which should cover trends and recommendations in each field.

Lim was speaking to reporters this morning, after meeting with Dewan Rakyat Speaker Dr Mohamed Zahir Ismail.

Also present were the DAP MPs for Kepong (Tan Seng Giaw), Bukit Bintang (Fong Kui Lun) and Cheras (Tan Kok Wai), as well as several party leaders. There was no specific agenda for the 30-minute meeting.

Lim said parliamentary reforms would underscore Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's commitment to deliver his pledge of a clean, incorruptible, trustworthy, efficient and people-oriented administration.

"DAP is prepared to fully co-operate with Abdullah and the Barisan Nasional in carrying out an ambitious programme," he said, also urging the premier to consult the opposition in all matters.

'Modern' thinking

Asked how he felt about his comeback to Parliament after a five-year hiatus, he described it as a "renewal process".

"I have to do some catching up, no time to look at the new Parliament (after recent renovations) yet... it's good, it's good," Lim said cheerfully.

He denied that his recent statements have been "merely combative" as claimed by certain quarters, saying that DAP is "firm, frank and polite, and stands for what is right".

The DAP supremo has been endorsed by the party as the new parliamentary opposition leader but said he has yet to meet with PAS and Parti Keadilan Rakyat (Keadilan) to discuss this.

Lim was first appointed an opposition leader in 1973 and held on to the post until he was defeated in the 1999 polls. According to tradition, the leader is selected from the opposition party with the most number of seats but based on consensus among all the parties involved.

In the just-concluded general election, DAP won 12 parliamentary seats, while PAS holds seven and Keadilan, one.

Seng Giaw, another veteran MP and party vice-president, said the new parliamentary session will be an interesting one with Lim's involvement, as he is a "dynamic" opposition leader.

"We separate religion from politics and parliamentary democracy, we uphold universal values and we will make parliament think and work in a more modern way," he said.

New term for Speaker?

Three parliamentary sittings will be held this year, with the first from May 17 to June 8. All parliamentarians will take their oath on the first day, while there will be an election for the Speaker and his deputies.

The Yang di-Pertuan Agong is scheduled to officiate at the opening of Parliament on May 18 and to deliver the Royal address. MPs will have six days to debate the Royal address, following which other matters will be debated.

The second sitting will fall from July 5 to 20, while the third will be from Sept 1 to Dec 21, with a month-long break during Ramadhan from mid-October.

The Budget speech will be tabled on Sept 10.

Mohamed Zahir, 80, when asked if he expects to be re-elected as Speaker, said this would depend on nominations by the MPs.

Asked if he was considering retirement, he replied: "When you asked to perform a service, you should not shrink from it."

(An aide said the premier had met with Mohamed Zahir on Monday to persuade him to assume another term of office. Mohamed Zahir is the longest-serving Speaker, having held the office from 1982.)

Mohamad Zahir also said renovations to Parliament House were almost 90 percent complete and that he was confident the rest of the work would be done in time for the new session.

Seating capacity in the Dewan Rakyat is being expanded to 240 seats to accommodate the 219 MPs. There will be facilities to televise proceedings on a big screen and on television sets inside the chamber. At present, TV sets are only available in the lobby, canteen and specific rooms.

Last September, Lim had criticised the extent of refurbishment, comparing the new-look interior of the House to that of a five-star hotel. The improvements, which started in early 2002, cost about RM50 million.