MPs cry foul over Putrajaya relocation plan

The relocation of the the Parliament complex to Putrajaya without consulting the Dewan Committee is a blatant abuse of executive powers, said opposition parliamentarians today.

Crying foul over the government's abrupt decision, Kuantan PKR MP Fuziah Salleh (right) said that ministers cannot make decisions on behalf of Parliament.

"The decision has to be done by the Dewan Committee. We don't deny that infrastructure needs to be added (to this building).

"We have raised several issues many times. For instance, drivers don't have a waiting room, MPs don't have their own offices but only workspaces, and so on," Fuziah told reporters at the Parliament lobby.

Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Mohd Nazri Aziz had announced earlier this week that the cabinet is mulling over a plan to shift Parliament to the Putrajaya International Convention Centre (PICC) as the building is under-utilised.

The minister had admitted that the cost of RM800 million for a new Parliament complex was out of the question.

He added that RM150 million will be needed to repair the existing Parliament, which had already undergone a RM100 million renovation five years ago.

"The decision that involves RM800 million cannot be made by the executive, their decisions are always flip-flop (because they are the) BN government," said Fuziah.

"We agree that this building has aesthetic and (has) heritage value. We should be proud of a building with such history but (should) we easily leave this building to be a museum? No.

"There is historical value here we should keep it," added Fuziah, who is a member of the Dewan Committee.

'MPs views were never sought'

Pokok Sena PAS member of parliament Mahfuz Omar, who is also on the committee, expressed disappointment that their views were never sought over the matter.

"This flip-flop policy of the government, sometimes say need and then don't... (We were) informed (that) the Speaker has agreed with the Public Works Department's (PWD) proposals that will cost about RM200 million.

"Why do we want to move to Putrajaya, whether to take over PICC or a new building just because the PICC is not fully utilised for conventions?

"Don't let the failure of the PICC management become a burden such that Parliament has to take over the building," said Mahfuz (right).

He stressed that that there is no necessity for a new place, and instead the rights and freedoms of lawmakers should be prioritised.

"We need integrity of Parliament, what we need is the democratic system. No use for us to take over PICC or a new building when the root of parliamentary democracy is not upheld," he said.

Also offended by the decision, Kota Melaka DAP MP Sim Tong Him has written to committee chairperson and Speaker Pandikar Amin Mulia to convene an emergency meeting to discuss the matter.

"This is very serious. Why weren't the parliamentarians informed at all of this suggestion by the executive to relocate Parliament without consulting with other lawmakers," said Sim.

Sim added that the decision is contradictory to a written reply to Karpal Singh (DAP-Bukit Gelugor) in 2007 that the location of Parliament will not be changed.

In the reply, then Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi had said that the current Parliament is a "reflection of democratic pride... and a meaningful history".

Opposition MPs Fong Po Kuan (DAP-Batu Gajah) and Chua Soon Bui (IND-Tawau) were also present at the press conference.