By Danial Dzulkifly
SHAH ALAM, Nov 17 – The discretion of whether another lawmaker can substitute a question posed by a state assemblyman in the State Legislative Assembly lies on the chair of the House, State Speaker Lau Weng San said.
His remarks come after a terse exchange with Opposition leader Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali, who bemoaned how Lau refused to allow him a supplementary question related to the Batang Kali landslide incident during today’s proceedings.
In a press conference, Lau said the question was originally supposed to be asked by Kuala Kubu Baru assemblyman Lee Kee Hiong, but she was absent from the sitting for health reasons.
The Speaker said he then used his discretion to allow Bukit Gasing lawmaker Rajiv Rishyakaran to pose the question to state executive councillor for infrastructure Izham Hashim, in line with the Standing Order 24(2) of the state assembly.
“In this instance, if the member is not present, I have the right to allow another member to ask the question and adopt it as their own. This is at my discretion and is a privilege, not a right for the member.
“So, on the question of the Batang Kali incident, I allowed the question to be asked by Bukit Gasing,’’ he told the press at the state assembly today.
Lau said he did not allow Azmin room for another question as he did not want to set a precedent where assemblymen avoid attending sessions and instead delegate their queries to other members.
“We need to encourage assembly members to prioritise attendance and actively participate in the sessions,” he said.
Earlier during proceedings, Azmin raised the procedural issue with Lau, saying that while he understood the Speaker has discretion, this should be exercised judiciously, particularly when further clarification is needed on important matters.
“We, as assembly members, whether from the government or the Opposition, have a responsibility to ensure the prevention of such incidents (Batang Kali landslide) in the future.
“My first point is that when a question is permitted (to be asked) and then answered, you should allow for supplementary questions.
“Therefore, I am seeking a directive from you to clearly state the procedure regarding supplementary questions, especially in cases where the member who raised the initial question is absent.
“Because when you allow the question to be answered by the state executive councillor and we can not ask additional questions, this is something out of the ordinary,” he said.
In his press conference, Lau also emphasised his commitment to providing written responses to all questions raised by both government backbenchers and the Opposition before the end of today’s sitting.
This is after several Opposition members raised their concerns that they have yet to receive written replies from the government, despite the assembly having sat for four days, and the lack of response would hinder the Opposition’s ability to perform their duties in the House effectively.
