KUCHING: Assistant Minister of Housing and Asajaya assemblyman Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah said the Batu Lintang assemblyman See Chee How should understand that he is an assemblyman – not a Member of Parliament.
“Surely he (See) cannot compare the number of sittings between an assemblyman and a parliamentarian,” he said, adding that it was common for most parliaments to sit many times a year, even in Malaysia.
“If YB See is so hardworking and want to sit that many times a year, he should vie for a parliamentary seat, rather than a state one.”
Karim was commenting on the remark by See that Sarawak assemblymen do not assume as much responsibilities as their UK counterparts.
Meanwhile Deputy State Legislative Assembly Speaker Datuk Roland Sagah said in order for the august House to sit for longer duration, there had to be ‘business’ to be deliberated.
“There is no point to have a sitting when there is nothing to talk about,” Sagah told The Borneo Post here yesterday.
See, who is state PKR vice chairman, pointed out in his weekly column in thesundaypost that the biggest difference between Sarawak DUN and the UK Parliament was that the former would sit for 16 days a year, while the UK one would convene the whole year round.
As such, he suggested that for a start, perhaps the DUN could either have six sittings with eight working days per sitting; or four sittings with of 12 working days per sitting.
“The present flooding which is experienced throughout the state has exposed infrastructural shortcomings and may require policy adjustments, but as it is, the next sitting is in May and the weather will be dry and hot. How many ADUNs (assemblymen) would raise the questions on flood mitigation measures, or flood relief operations?” asked See in his column.
He also said not only is the assemblymen’s allowance said to be the highest paid legislators in the country, the DUN had also amended the State Constitution to increase the number of assemblymen in the state from 71 to 82.
“It makes simple business sense – with the pay raised and more employed to do the work, the ADUNs must assume more responsibilities and deliver better services.”
For Sagah, it was not correct to say that UK parliamentarians meet the whole year round because they would never have time for their constituents.
“Here, if you sit everyday, then the elected representatives wouldn’t have time to go to their constituencies, especially when many of them (constituencies) are very far and not easily accessible.”
p/s The above article has been edited. To read the orginal article, please click here. -Admin
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