Azhar Harun: Speaker of the Decrease Home who descended to a ‘Authorities Lapdog’

Sparking large debate and public fury when the Speaker of the Decrease Home, earlier this month Tan Sri Azhar Azizan Harun (“Speaker”), introduced that former Prime Minister Najib Razak had not misplaced his MP standing as he had filed a petition for royal pardon. That is regardless of the King’s, (Yang- di Pertuan Agong, YDPA) stance that royal pardon shouldn’t be used arbitrarily.

A speaker is tasked with the heavy duty to make sure that the parliament retains elected representatives in verify. That is particularly so in Malaysia the place corruption and abuse of energy are rampant. There’s an pressing want for a reform-oriented speaker to be appointed because the Malaysian parliamentary proceedings and tradition have turn into, within the former speaker Mohamad Ariff Md Yusoff’s phrases “more and more poisonous, like a pasar malam (evening market)” through the years. There was a brief triumph when a progressive speaker, Ariff Yusoff, was appointed and initiated reforms resembling parliamentary particular choose committees (PSSCs) to ease the shouting tradition of the Malaysian Parliament. Nevertheless, because the Sheraton Coup and the appointment of Azhar Harun reforms have, unsurprisingly paused and the battle for parliamentary reforms had taken a downward slide.

Corruption is a big drawback in Malaysia. Except for the mega 1MDB scandal, the Chief Commissioner of the Anti-Corruption Fee, Azam Baki was additionally allegedly concerned in corrupt practices. This challenge considerations nationwide pursuits. The parliament is one of the best place to not solely maintain him accountable, but additionally for elected representatives to provoke reforms to counter the issue. Nevertheless, the speaker turned down opposition MPs’ makes an attempt to debate this challenge. His causes included the Prime Minister’s absolute discretion in figuring out the movement when the truth is, Harun has the discretion.

Just lately Luxembourg authorities seized US$2billion Petronas property on behalf of the Sulu Sultan’s heirs to implement an arbitration ruling they’d secured towards Malaysia. In keeping with the chief of the opposition Anwar Ibrahim, that is the place Malaysia’s “sovereignty is being challenged”: a problem of public curiosity which might require MPs to debate for a greater decision. Nevertheless, the Speaker opined that must be saved confidential “to forestall revealing Putrajaya’s counter methods”. On this challenge taxpayers ought to demand an evidence or an investigation to carry those that are accountable accountable. Harun’s excuses naturally attracted enormous criticisms, with many panning him as a “ineffective speaker”.

In earlier, ridiculous cases the speaker allowed three ministers out of dwelling quarantine to attend parliament to vote on the 2021 Price range, a clearly political transfer to assist the then weak Perikatan Nasional authorities from dissolving. He additionally rejected a movement to debate the Pandora Papers the place a number of ministers, together with the Finance Minister Tengku Zafrul and former Deputy Prime Minister Zahid Hamidi, had been allegedly concerned in incorporating firms in low or no tax jurisdictions. To make matter worse, he had additionally shot down motions to debate the flood disaster that took 46 lives and triggered RM 20 billion value of injury. .

The speaker supplied poor proof for his selections. The actual causes behind his actions had been to silence dissent and canopy up the then authorities’s incompetence and abuses of energy.  With Azhar Harun because the speaker of the decrease home, parliament has turn into a haven for political elites to flee accountability and improve their grip of energy. He has failed as a Speaker however succeeded, in Bukit Gelugor’s MP Ramkarpal Singh’s phrases, as a “authorities’s lapdog”.

The time to strain for extra parliamentary reforms is now. The Sri Lankan financial disaster is a lesson a small nation like Malaysia should take to coronary heart. Rampant corruption, incompetent authorities and deliberate exacerbation of ethnic and non secular divides to serve the federal government’s personal wants has strongly contributed to the continuing disaster. The worrying parallel between Malaysia and Sri Lanka reveals that there’s an pressing want for parliamentary reforms to advertise a extra steady, competent and clear authorities.