YOURSAY | ‘Mr Speaker, has the finance minister lost his power of speech?’

MP fumes as Najib opts for silence while deputy answers

The Mask: What kind of a Parliament is this? It is not that the minister is absent, dumb or mute, but he is there and the question is directed at him.

Speaker Pandikar Amin Mulia, please don't carry this protection of Prime Minister Najib Razak too far. Be logical and sensible.

Bersih: If he need not answer, then why does the prime minister attend Parliament for?

Kingfisher: That Najib has attended 26 out of 358 days of Parliament over a duration of five years indicates a dismal record for leadership effectiveness in an August body.

For a nation still considered a fledgling democracy of some 55 years, the ruling party and its leaders' commitment to parliamentary sessions and its norms is an important indicator, many would think, of democracy in law and in practice.

And even any unwitting display of disregard for reasonable and responsible attendance can be construed as misplaced arrogance of the "ruling" elites towards these institutions and the electorate.

Just imagine the plight and chaos in rule of law and its practice if the judiciary resorts to such manner of selective delinquency.

The English legal system, Great Britain's parliamentary norms and practices in both Houses and its judiciary, are still a shining example for admiration and emulation by fledgling democracies.

Tailek: 26 out of 358 days? That's not even 10 percent. That's a very poor attendance record indeed.

Touche: UK Prime Pinister David Cameron answers all questions, even when all his deputies are around, during Wednesday’s PM’s question time.

Just admit it, that Najib has no guts to answer.

Gotcha: It's simple - if the finance minister is present in the House, then he should answer or else he should resign. If not, why should he be paid double salary (as prime minister as well)?

Chipmunk: If parliamentary secretaries are sufficient to answer questions in Parliament, as Pandikar says, then what's the need for ministers and deputy ministers?

The fat salary and perks given to ministers and their deputies could easily be channelled to the underprivileged.

What a waste of taxpayers' money and government resources.

Dalvik: What crooked logic by Pandikar. Najib might as well carry all the head titles of the ministries and let the rest be his deputies.

It would work the same because the deputies would do the work and speak for him.

Ipoh PP: What are we paying the PM for, Mr Speaker? So his job is to warm the seat in Parliament?

MacMac: Parliament is all about politics, so what does Pandikar mean by not politicising it?

Shovelnose: If one cannot practise political point scoring in Parliament, where can one do so?

Basically: Pandikar, you are not an elected representative so you have no right to tell off any elected MP, who speaks as the constituency's representative.

He is there to speak on our behalf because we can’t all turn up in Parliament as it’s too small to accommodate us.

That is the principle of the House. It's not Umno's playground. If we could, we would definitely show up and throw you out ourselves.

Ijoe7: So much for the 'nothing to hide' Bugis warrior. He is an absolute joke of a PM. And Pandikar is not fit to be a speaker in a proper democracy.

Devon: This is a totally useless excuse for a PM. He needs his deputy finance minister to defend him. He probably spent the other 332 days to scheme.

P Dev Anand Pillai: Our Parliament is nothing but a damned rubber stamp, where we have a group of idiots who sit in and engage themselves in shouting matches, where one side is meant to win perpetually.

We have to learn to physically fight in Parliament and the first physical punch or kick should be aimed at the speaker.

Send In The Clowns: Mr Speaker, has the finance minister lost his power of speech?

RCZ: Looks like the speaker-Umno-BN circus has begun. There is no way these clowns performing at this circus are going to give any satisfactory or even clever answers, because they are all stupid.

Come on Malaysians, wake up and chose better MPs, and those with brains.

YF: The person in charge is too incompetent to do his job, so he has to get a little boy to do his work. It's that bad.

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