Deputy minister: Only a few opposition MPs in Dewan Rakyat today

PARLIAMENT | The Dewan Rakyat sitting was calm this morning as a significant number of opposition MPs appeared to be absent from the august house.

Deputy Agriculture and Food Security Minister Chan Foong Hin told Malaysiakini that he only saw seven opposition lawmakers in Parliament today.

He was also supposed to answer Perikatan Nasional’s Merbok MP Mohd Nazri Abu Hassan in the Dewan Rakyat today, but the question was skipped as the latter was absent.

While the reason for their absence cannot be ascertained, Chan questioned whether it was due to the coalition’s chairperson Muhyiddin Yassin being summoned to the MACC headquarters this morning.

“Are they at the MACC headquarters?” the deputy minister asked.

Muhyiddin, who is also the Bersatu president, confirmed yesterday that he has been summoned for questioning at MACC at 11am today.

Around 100 of Muhyiddin’s supporters in white T-shirts bearing his image reportedly gathered outside the agency headquarters as early as 9am.

Among those spotted outside the MACC this morning were PN deputy chairperson Ahmad Faizal Azumu, Indera Mahkota MP Saifuddin Abdullah, Bersatu supreme council member Azmin Ali as well as Bersatu Youth information chief Mohd Ashraf Mustaqim Badrul Munir.

Charged in court

Bersatu information chief Razali Idris said they expect Muhyiddin to be detained after having his statement recorded by the MACC today and charged in court tomorrow.

If charged, Muhyiddin will join a series of Bersatu leaders who have been charged since mid-February.

Bersatu information chief Wan Saiful Wan Jan and Segambut Bersatu deputy chief Adam Radlan Adam Muhammad were both charged last month in relation to the Jana Wibawa scheme.

The Jana Wibawa programme is a stimulus project by the then-Muhyiddin administration as part of the Covid-19 pandemic relief efforts.

READ MORE: KINIGUIDE | What is the Jana Wibawa programme?

The PN MPs’ absence also affected the ministers’ winding-up speeches later today as many issues raised by the lawmakers have to be skipped.

In particular, Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh was about to end her speech within a few minutes as nearly all seven MPs who raised issues related to her ministry were not present in the Dewan Rakyat at the time.

However, as she moved to conclude her speech, several MPs began asking her additional questions and clarifications which she then responded to.

Deputy Dewan Rakyat speaker Ramli Mohd Nor later quipped that he thought Yeoh would set a new record for the shortest minister’s winding-up speech.

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