Don't reject valid and legal questions in Parliament: Cenbet

PETALING JAYA: The Centre For A Better Tomorrow (Cenbet) has criticised the rejection of over 30 questions related to 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) posed during the recent Dewan Rakyat sittings.
"The rejection has raised troubling questions over the legislature's sacred role as an avenue for taxpayers to get answers on matters of public importance.
"The sanctity of this function in Parliament cannot be overstated as each day's sitting begins with the Question and Answer session," Cenbet's board of governor Datuk Simon Lim Seng Chai said in a statement, today.
Lim pointed out that giving clear answers in the legislature is part of a vibrant and matured democracy, and is crucial in enhancing transparency, a value which Cenbet advocates.
"If MPs cannot ask valid, legal questions of public interest to the Executive in the August House, where else can they seek answers from?
"In fact, dodging questions or giving half-baked replies only fuel unnecessary speculation and is an affront to Parliamentary democracy," he said.
So long as the questions are valid and legal, he said the Executive should never shy away from answering them.
"On questions surrounding 1MDB, the Dewan Rakyat would have been a legitimate avenue for the Cabinet and various agencies to set the record straight, amid mounting bad press.
"In fact, if the issues are properly addressed in the oral or written replies, the government can turn the tide of unfavourable publicity," he said.