'Pilot test' for PM question time next Tuesday

Next Tuesday will see the debut of the Prime Minister's Question and Answer (PMQ) session in the Dewan Rakyat, said speaker Johari Abdul.

Speaking to Bernama, Johari said the session will undergo a trial phase.

"We suggest that the session be held every Tuesday for Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim to answer questions that are addressed to him and on Thursday, there will be the Minister's Question Time (MQT) session.

"This is one of the reforms that will be implemented, but it cannot be made as a regular session yet... we will start it as a pilot test first so that we can identify problems that may arise," he said.

Johari said the introduction of the PMQ session will also require amendments to the Standing Orders of the Dewan Rakyat before it can be made a regular session of the parliamentary proceedings.

PMQ is a convention in the UK House of Commons where the prime minister will answer questions from MPs at noon for half an hour.

These sessions are often described as fast-paced and receive widespread media and public attention.

Meanwhile, Johari said that the number of motions handled by the special chamber session will be increased to four, up from two previously.

He said he also intends to give the opposition MPs and government backbenchers an opportunity to lead the session.

"This means that not only I and the two deputy speakers of the Dewan Rakyat can steer the session, but also other members of Parliament," he added.

Johari said he also proposed to make it compulsory for all MPs to undergo medical checkups every six months to ensure they are in good health and able to carry out their duties effectively.

Regarding media coverage of the Dewan Rakyat sitting, he said the media members would be allowed to be in the Parliament lobby to get reactions from ministers or the MPs.

Prior to this, reporters have been banned from conducting doorstop interviews there since 2017 due to “security” concerns.

The Dewan Rakyat sitting will be for 29 days until March 30 with the Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri'ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah to open it on Feb 13, followed by the debate on the royal address, which will be for five days.

Anwar, who is also finance minister, is scheduled to table the Budget 2023 in the Dewan Rakyat on Feb 24.

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