Absence of health minister, deputy during question time courts flak

PARLIAMENT | The absence of Health Minister Dzulkefly Ahmad and his deputy, Hanifah Hajar Taib, from the Dewan Rakyat when a health-related question was raised today drew criticism from several MPs.

Zahir Hassan (Harapan-Wangsa Maju) had asked the health minister to state whether the ministry plans to increase primary health service capacity, including the construction or upgrading of health clinics in the parliamentary constituency.

He had stated that Wangsa Maju was the most densely populated parliamentary constituency in Malaysia, at 14,059 people per sq km.

However, when the time came for the question to be answered, deputy Dewan Rakyat speaker Alice Lau informed the House that neither the health minister nor his deputy was present in the chambers, and invited Wan Saiful Wan Jan (PN-Tasek Gelugor) to raise question number four.

Zahir (above) then asked whether he could submit his question when the minister or deputy minister arrived in the House.

However, Lau replied that it could not be done and proceedings moved on to the next question.

The situation sparked protests from several opposition MPs. Mas Ermieyati Samsudin (PN-Masjid Tanah) described the incident as something unprecedented, stating that their absence showed a lack of respect for the Dewan Rakyat and other MPs who had prepared to ask their questions.

Wan Saiful, meanwhile, requested that the absence of the minister and deputy minister be recorded as part of House proceedings.

Deputy Investment, Trade and Industry Minister Sim Tze Tzin subsequently arrived to answer the question.

Takiyuddin criticises absence

In a press conference later, Perikatan Nasional chief whip Takiyuddin Hassan flayed both Dzulkefly and Hanifah over their absence, describing the matter as an insult to the Dewan Rakyat and an embarrassment to the government.

"It is a major failure by the government when both the minister and his deputy are not present to answer the question raised," he said.

He also demanded that the government provide an explanation regarding the absence of both members of the administration.

The incident is reminiscent of an event on March 27, 2023, when deputy Dewan Rakyat speaker Ramli Nor reprimanded then deputy education minister Lim Hui Ying for failing to prepare an answer for an oral question on the supplementary food programme in schools.

At the time, Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek was absent, and the question was supposed to be answered by her deputy.

Lim later apologised for not preparing an answer and requested to provide a written response instead, triggering protests from opposition MPs.

However, the 2023 incident was different: the deputy minister was present but unable to provide an answer, whereas in today's occurrence, neither the health minister nor his deputy was present when the question was called.

Ministry explains absences

The ministry has since issued a statement explaining the duo's absence, saying it was unintentional and that Hanifah had been prepared to answer Zahir's question.

It said the deputy minister had been discussing the matter with ministry officers outside the Dewan Rakyat to finalise her answers when Zahir's question, the third on the list, was called earlier than expected.

This happened after Kepala Batas MP Siti Mastura Muhammad arrived late, which led to her question to the transport minister being skipped, moving straight to the third question.

"This sudden change was the main reason the deputy minister was unable to enter the chamber in time," the ministry said.

Hanifah has since met Zahir and provided him with a detailed written response to his question, it added.

The ministry also provided an explanation for Dzulkefly's absence, saying he was unable to attend today's parliamentary sitting as he had to be in Malacca to witness the handover of the Letter of Acceptance (LOA) for the construction of the Women and Children's Block at the Malacca Hospital.

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