KUALA LUMPUR: Pandemonium broke out in the Dewan Rakyat today after it was discovered that one MP who voted on the Finance Ministry’s budget allocation that was passed was absent when the count was conducted.
The commotion started after Deputy Speaker Datuk Rashid Hasnon read out a declaration from Speaker Datuk Azhar Azizan Harun that Noor Amin Ahmad (PH-Kangar) informed him Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz (BN-Padang Rengas) had been included in the approving side of Monday’s division when he was not present.
He said the finance ministry’s budget was supported by 106 MPs against 95 objections and those absent were 19 MPs, and not 18.
He said Azhar had ordered for the number of votes to be corrected.
Datuk Shabudin Yahya (PN-Tasek Gelugor), who counted for the PN side of the division, apologised to the Speaker saying it was a mistake and he did not mean to mislead the House.
He explained himself, when the Opposition demanded for an explanation, by saying he had seen Nazri in Parliament minutes before the bloc vote but was not sure if he was still there.
Fuziah Salleh (PH-Kuantan) cited Standing Order (SO) 47 (1) and 47 (2), which stated that MPs who acted as vote counters must clearly ask each lawmaker on their side of the division whether they were for, against, or abstaining from voting on any specific motion.
She said each vote counter cannot make assumption.
“If the vote counter on the government side can make assumptions, how can we be convinced that the next vote counter won’t do the same?” she asked.
She pointed out that the present government has a majority of just two MPs.
Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman (Ind-Muar) said it is a serious matter for miscalculating the votes during Monday’s bloc voting,.
He he urged the Speaker to ensure that this error does not happen again.
Opposition MPs also called on the Deputy Speaker for a ruling to ensure that any of today’s divisions would be done accurately and transparently.
Rashid said he would raise the matter with Azhar and that any lawmaker who took issue with this should formally notify the Speaker under Standing Order 43.
