KUALA LUMPUR: Chairman of parliamentary select committees will be given the floor in the Dewan Rakyat over the next two days to explain their findings on current issues.
In making the announcement, Dewan Rakyat Speaker Tan Sri Johari Abdul also urged ministers, deputy ministers or senior ministry officials to be present in the House during the session.
“On Aug 26 and Aug 27, which is tomorrow and the day after, chairman of parliamentary select committees would be given the floor to explain the reports their committees have tabled to the Dewan Rakyat.
“This is to ensure greater coverage and provide exposure to the public on the role of parliamentary select committees in discussing current affairs,” he told the Dewan Rakyat on Monday (Aug 25).
He said each chairman will be given seven minutes, followed by a debate involving two government MPs and two from the Opposition bench.
Johari said it is crucial for ministers or their representatives to be in the House when important current affairs matters are raised.
He said the move was in response to a report calling for ministries to be responsive to reports by the parliamentary committees.
Suhaizan Kaiat, the Pulai MP from Pakatan, then proposed that ministries be allowed to wind up the debates.
Johari said he would take the suggestion into consideration.
“This is the first time such a practice is being implemented. We will discuss to find the best mechanism,” he said.
