Kuala Lumpur – Former MIC President and former Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr S.Subramaniam (pic) has called on all parties concerned to give a chance to new speaker of Dewan Rakyat Datuk Mohd Ariff Mohd Yusoff. Dr Subra made this call on his facebook posting yesterday (July 17).
Full text of his comments are as follows:
“Give the new Speaker a chance. The government has nominated Datuk Mohd Ariff Mohd Yusoff to be the new speaker of the Dewan Rakyat. This is a departure from previous practice when politicians and Members of Parliament were nominated to this post. The current speaker is a former Court of Appeal judge and not from a active political background.
He was not the first choice of the PH government but became the final choice due to the differing views within the PH government In the selection. There are many Malaysians who are waiting in anticipation that the effect of his appointment will have on the proceedings of the august house.
The PH government in deciding on his appointment would have weighed many options , including the pros and cons of his appointment. Needless to say they would definitely expect him to facilitate in ensuring the agenda of the government prevails. It will be foolhardy to expect otherwise.
That is the nature of politics.
The Dewan Rakyat is a political minefield where “swords and shields “will be exchanged in the desire to portray political upmanship. The learned Speaker will see that this blatant expression of democracy will be a far cry from the somber comfort of the chambers of the Courts of law.
I am sure with time he will not only learn the new art but will adapt himself to fit snugly into the new role. Many of the senior members of parliament are adept at judiciously and often conniving use the Standing orders to their advantage .
Thankfully many such members are back-benchers now. Needless to say the former Yang Arif will face many challenges in fulfilling his new duty.
As Malaysians we should give him a chance ,and probably allow his appointment to bring some freshness to the Dewan Rakyat.”
