KUALA LUMPUR: Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil today says that no one, not even the cabinet, has the power to direct the Dewan Rakyat speaker.
Clarifying a remark he made that the cabinet intended to "contact" the speaker on alleged misleading statements made by members of parliament (MPs) in the House, Fahmi said it was not to rebuke the MPs, but to "provide feedback".
It was standard procedure, he said, for people to meet the speaker to share ideas, express opinions and get advice. This included opposition MPs, he added.
"So what I meant was 'to provide feedback to the speaker', nothing more than that, as we cannot direct the speaker to do anything.
"Whether it is government backbenchers or the opposition, (anyone) can meet the speaker to share views, seek advice and exchange ideas," he said after an event here.
On March 8, he said the cabinet would contact the speaker's office over false statements made by MPs in the parliamentary sitting.
On March 9, Lawyers for Liberty hit out at the cabinet's plan to ask the speaker to reprimand MPs for misleading statements made during parliamentary sittings.
Its adviser, N. Surendran, said Parliament was not a "government department" and that infractions by MPs during parliamentary sittings must be dealt with by the Dewan Rakyat in accordance with standing orders.
Drawing from the example of Tasek Gelugor MP Datuk Wan Saiful Wan Jan, who had offered an apology to Speaker Tan Sri Johari Abdul in the Dewan Rakyat, Fahmi said this happened after a meeting between the opposition and the speaker.
"The speaker said he had a meeting with him, and in that meeting, it appeared that the opposition had an opportunity.
"I believe it was the opposition leader who met the speaker, so this was what I meant, meeting a speaker is a common practice and a norm in the Dewan Rakyat."