Twentytwo13

Popularity over substance: It’s best MPs do homework before asking questions in Dewan Rakyat

In a bid to score brownie points, MPs in Malaysia seem to be wasting valuable time in Parliament by asking questions bereft of substance, or without doing their homework.

This was evident through a written question by Hulu Selangor MP, June Leow Hsiad Hui, when she asked about the type of assistance received by former national athletes, and the conditions set for them to receive such aid. Kangar MP Noor Amin Ahmad also wondered about the incentives ex-athletes received, following reports of them being neglected.

The Youth and Sports Ministry, through its deputy minister, Datuk Seri Ti Lian Ker, had to once again regurgitate facts that were already available on public domain about the assistance given to ex-athletes upon their retirement from elite sports.

This was not the first time the ministry had to address such an issue in Parliament.

Clearly, the MPs are riding on easy and popular issues to “champion” the people. If they actually did their homework, they would be asking:

i. If the government had considered the suggestion by national cyclist Datuk Azizulhasni Awang, in 2017, regarding an Employees Provident Fund-like setup for athletes?

ii. It’s eight more years to 2030. Where is the National Sports Vision 2030 blueprint?

iii. Malaysia has been given the opportunity to host the 2027 SEA Games. Yet, the accounts of the 2017 SEA Games in Kuala Lumpur have not been made public. Why?

iv. What steps will the ministry, and the state governments, take to address the lack of women participation in diving – evident in the dropping of diving events for girls in the upcoming Malaysia Games in Kuala Lumpur?

v. Is there sufficient funding for the National Sports Council (NSC) and programmes involving elite athletes, given that Berjaya Sports Toto’s annual contribution to NSC has been reduced significantly due to the lockdowns and lower number of special draws.

vi. Can the ministry provide timelines as to when its Sports Satellite Account will be ready to operate, and its key goals?

The plight of former para-athlete Koh Lee Peng was once again raised in Parliament this morning.

In 2019, Koh was quoted as saying: “I’ve always wanted to be independent, even though sometimes I’ve had to face public humiliation because of my condition.”

She said this after receiving aid from the National Athletes’ Welfare Foundation (Yakeb) in Taman Tun Sardon in Penang on Oct 13, 2019. Present were then Deputy Youth and Sports minister, Steven Sim, and Yakeb chairman Datuk Noorul Ariffin Abdul Majeed.

Jumping on the bandwagon this morning, Sim (PH – Bukit Mertajam) suggested that the ministry purchase the handicraft sold by Koh, so that they can be given out during sporting events or government-related activities.

If Sim had done it in 2019, during his time in Menara KBS, it is highly unlikely a conversation regarding Koh would resurface in Parliament.

The same question, regarding the welfare of ex-athletes, was raised by Senator Lim Hui Ying during a Dewan Negara session in May 2019. Deputy Education Minister Teo Nie Ching, had then, answered on behalf of the Youth and Sports Ministry, including highlighting the Malaysian Athlete Career and Education programme to ensure there’s life after sports for athletes.

It is the civil servants and the special officers to the ministers and deputy ministers who prepare the answers to the questions.

Instead of wasting their time on questions that are already out in the public domain, get them to answer questions that they have kept mum about for the longest time ever.

Sim’s motion to debate Malaysia’s Tier 3 ranking in the United States State Department’s annual human trafficking report for the second year running was an issue that was supposed to have been discussed and debated in Parliament.

Yet, such an important matter was shot down by Dewan Rakyat Speaker Tan Sri Azhar Azizan Harun this morning on the basis that Sim did not provide enough evidence to show that it was of public interest and importance.

The granting of citizenship, the claim by the heirs of the Sulu Sultanate, rules regarding e-waste, and massive clearing of land are nagging issues that continue to fester.

Bigger and more important issues are being sidelined. Championing popular issues instead of dealing with the more difficult ones seem to be more important.

And when things get heated, MPs resort to using profanity. The unnecessary drama then becomes a talking point, drowning out the real issues that plague us.

It’s only right for MPs to do their homework and ask real questions, instead of wasting the Parliament’s time on matters that have been explained ad nauseum.