THE business of Parliament is a serious one. Let's not forget, our nation gets shaped there. But some of our members of parliament are not taking it seriously.
Absenteeism has become a disease of the august house. Driven by frustration or desperation, or both, Dewan Rakyat Speaker Tan Sri Johari Abdul said on Nov 4 that he would display the names of absent MPs on the Dewan Rakyat's website for their constituents to see.
As expected, it has been a few days of raised battleaxe after that, with the ruling rage being summed up in the words: "Don't treat us as kids". One lawmaker even said MPs need a speaker, not a classroom monitor.
True, but what do you do when an august house is turned into a classroom of truants? Lawmakers who stay away without leave or explanation are preventing Parliament from conducting its business. The august house must not be put in handcuffs thus. The Dewan Rakyat can only be said to be effective if the lawmakers are actively engaged in the business of Parliament.
Debates and scrutiny of legislation don't happen in absentia. If the Parliament fails us, it is because of the rampant absenteeism of truant lawmakers. The voters who placed them there hold Parliament in high esteem. Lawmakers must do likewise.
Johari clarified on Monday that his proposal to name the absent MPs in the Dewan Rakyat's website was not to shame them. There was no need for him to explain. Truant lawmakers — MPs without leave or excuse — need no clarification. Drastic measures are needed to stem the dangerous tide of parliamentary paralysis caused by the absence of a quorum.
We think displaying their names in the Dewan Rakyat's website is the right thing to do. Don't get us wrong. We mean truant MPs, not those with leave or explanation. It is good parliamentary practice for lawmakers to write to the speaker to seek leave or provide an explanation for their absence.
If we do not tolerate truancy in schools, what more in Parliament where the nation's business gets done. There is only one explanation for MPs who stay away from Parliament for no good reason: they are not interested in helping to shape the nation. Perhaps talking about money would drive some sense of responsibility in the truant MPs.
Based on last year's published figures, a lawmaker's salary was RM16,000. To be honest, it is not a sum to write home about. But there are allowances of this and that kind. Add them all up, and you get a tidy take home pay. Not to mention the pension after just three years as an MP. This is surely worth writing home about.
But this is for MPs who shoulder the heavy responsibilities of a lawmaker responsibly. Heavy workload in and outside Parliament is a given. They deserve to be paid more. For the truant lawmaker? Our verdict is: undeserved. Salary, allowances or any sort of payment for a job is for work done or services rendered.
Where the work is not done or services are not rendered for no good reason, the payment must be withheld. The job of an MP is no different from any other job. All come with responsibility. Like everybody else, the MPs must be held to account.