KUALA LUMPUR: For what seems like the umpteenth time this session, the Dewan Rakyat descended into "chaos" yet again.
Unlike the other times, however, it was a rather one-sided affair due to the simple fact that not a single opposition member of parliament was present during the minister's question time (MQT) session.
The issue was raised by Dewan Rakyat Speaker Tan Sri Johari Abdul, who noticed that the opposition bloc seats were empty during Datuk R. Ramanan's (PH-Sungai Buloh) turn to pose his questions.
Johari then opened the floor to the government MPs to ask supplementary questions to ministers.
"Before the respective minister answers (the question posed), I am opening the floor for three supplementary questions considering many of the opposition MPs are absent," he said.
Following this, Datuk Mohd Isam Mohd Isa (BN-Tampin) stood and criticised the opposition for being absent.
"(It is) not that 'many' of them are absent, but all of them are absent. This is the opposition's behaviour," he said.
Johari then urged Isam to calm down, stating that he would address the matter without amplifying it.
"Don't worry about it ( the absence), let the speaker handle it," said Johari.
At the same time, Jimmy Puah Wee Tse (PH-Tebrau) when posing a question to the Finance Ministry also made a remark on the issue.
"We came to Parliament just to find out that the opposition was not here. Luckily, the minister is here," he said.
Meanwhile, an opposition MP, Datuk Ahmad Saad (PN-Pokok Sena) only appeared during Health Minister Dr Zaliha Mustafa's session to pose supplementary questions.
It is believed that the opposition MPs were absent as they were attending a protest gathering outside the Palace of Justice in Putrajaya, where the Federal Court was hearing a constitutional challenge to certain sections of the Kelantan Syariah Criminal Code.