COMMENT | The speaker is the face of Parliament

"I will also, alongside you ladies and gentlemen, work towards raising the powers of the parliamentary institution in the country so that the culture of parliamentary democracy that we practise becomes more effective, fair, and even-handed."

- Mohamad Ariff Md Yusof, Speaker of the Dewan Rakyat

COMMENT | Prime Minister (PM) Muhyiddin Yassin seems to think that his position in Parliament will get a big boost if he could get rid of the speaker and choose someone else more attuned to his political leaning.

He has got his calculation wrong because Parliament does not belong to his Perikatan Nasional (PN) government but to the people.

Thus, it follows that PN's attempt to remove the Dewan Rakyat speaker and his deputy is an attack on the dignity and impartiality of Parliament.

What did speaker Mohamad Ariff Md Yusof (above) and his deputy Nga Kor Ming do to prompt the PN government to seek their ouster? Did they shirk from their duty to ensure Parliament is run smoothly? Did they misbehave themselves in the course of their duty?

The two did not do anything that could be remotely construed as serious enough to warrant their removal. The truth is, it all boils down to politics. They were both appointed under the previous Pakatan Harapan government and this is now anathema to Muhyiddin, the leader of the puny party Bersatu.

But Ariff cannot be seen as a politician because he has resigned from all positions in Amanah upon being appointed as the Dewan Rakyat speaker. He is not even an MP. He did the right thing to become independent because he wants to be an impartial speaker.

Muhyiddin didn't see it this way. He has to show Ariff the exit because, with the change of government, there must also be a change of guard at Parliament - someone nearer to his heart.

The PM has brushed aside the valid contention that the speaker can only be removed when Parliament is dissolved to pave the way for a general election.

The move to dismiss the speaker can only mean one thing: it is politically motivated. Muhyiddin and his nascent Bersatu are walking on thin ice given his wafer-thin majority, and hence, he probably sees in a compliant speaker as a way for him to keep his political career afloat.

But Parliament is not the place to throw Bersatu a lifeline. It is mainly a body where the elected representatives convene to call the government to account for its actions.

The Dewan Rakyat is the hallowed platform where MPs can "check and challenge the work of the government, make and change laws, debate important issues, and check and approve government spending".

One thing is crystal-clear: in the Dewan Rakyat "it is not for the chair to create a majority that does not exist". Muhyiddin (below) cannot use Parliament to serve his purpose because he and all elected representatives are the "servants" of the people.

The office of the speaker cannot be treated like clay which you can shape in any way you like. If the speaker can be twisted around your finger, then Parliament cannot effectively function as a separate branch of government from the Executive. If it loses its independence, then democracy will rapidly morph into autocracy.

Ariff wants to strengthen the culture of parliamentary democracy, and he needs time to do it. But now that his career as the speaker is coming to an abrupt end, his apolitical approach to do good deeds is unlikely to be emulated in the next speaker.

Muhyiddin will have his own man to take care of parliamentary business and, more importantly, to make sure his opponents do not try to undermine and topple PN through the machinery of Parliament.

The unspoken understanding will be that the new speaker must play by the rules laid down by the coalition in power. He must take the cue from the Executive.

In the months ahead, whenever Parliament is in session, the public can expect to see the new presiding officer giving curt treatment to any opposition-crafted motion that is detrimental to the health of PN.

The old bad days of BN will return with opposition members getting ejected from Parliament for no solid reasons. They will be at the receiving end most of the time.

The office of the speaker symbolises the power of Parliament because, without him, the House has "no constitutional existence". The office is not part of the Prime Minister's Department but exists in its own right in accordance with the Federal Constitution.

The time has come to strengthen the position of the speaker so that no one - not even the prime minister - can belittle the honour, prestige, and dignity of the office.

The speaker is the face of Parliament and Parliament is the face of democracy. To remove the speaker purely on the grounds of political expediency is making a mockery of the concept of government of the people, by the people, for the people.

PHLIP RODRIGUES is a retired journalist.

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.

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