Ministers back to giving oral answers during MQT beginning tomorrow

A motion on this was tabled by Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Parliament and Law) Datuk Takiyuddin Hassan after the question-and-answer session in the Dewan Rakyat here today. The motion was passed.

“Without heeding the previous motion on the ministers’ question time on Nov 5 and based on Standing Order 90(2) and the agreement of the Dewan Rakyat Speaker, I table the motion to stop the enforcement of standing orders 24(5A), 24A (5) and 24A (7).

“This is to enable the MQT session to be shortened to 10 minutes, where the member posing the question will be called upon to read it out and the minister will reply without allowing supplementary questions, from tomorrow until Dec 15,” he said when tabling the motion.

On Nov 5, Dewan Rakyat Speaker Datuk Azhar Azizan Harun decided that ministers will give written replies for MQT questions, with the answers to be uploaded on the Parliament website. This was after the Dewan Rakyat sitting was shortened to 10 am to 2 pm to lower the risk of COVID-19 infection.

Before that, the MQT session was limited to five minutes per question for three questions beginning 10 am, with MPs reading out the questions and the minister concerned replying.

Takiyuddin said the motion was made in response to a proposal from Khoo Poay Tiong (PH-Kota Melaka) yesterday, who asked the Speaker to allow ministers to answer questions orally during the session.