GEORGE TOWN, july 3-The Penang legislative assembly will not have Question Time during the whole duration of its current sitting, Speaker Law Choo Kiang announced today.
Law said the purpose for this ruling was to “save time”. “This will not disrupt the session as it is according to the House regulations,” he said. The current session began yesterday and would end Friday.
It is a norm for the assembly to have half-an-hour Question Time before state assemblymen start debating on bills.
The Question Time is usually used by the opposition to raise queries on the running of the state.
The Speaker’s ruling however came under fire from the state opposition leader Jahara Hamid, the Teluk Ayer Tawar state assembly representative. She said the ruling was a “death penalty for democracy”.
She said the state government must be transparent and that it was the responsibility of the elected representatives to ask questions.
Speaking while debating the motion of thanks on the governor’s speech at yesterday’s opening session, she said barring question and answer session does not only affect the opposition but also backbenchers.
“It is clear that there is an absolute arrogance of power here. It is like passing the death penalty on democracy. Democracy has died in this Dewan.”
