Pemimpin Amanah tolak, Hassan sokong timbang peranan ketua pembangkang tentukan agenda Parlimen

Amanah's head, Faiz Fadzil, has rejected the proposal for a speaker to determine the agenda of the Dewan Rakyat, while Pasir Gudang MP Hassan Abdul Karim supports the idea and wants it considered further by the House of Representatives Select Committee. The proposal, which is not new in several advanced countries like the United Kingdom and Canada, is deemed inappropriate for Malaysia as the opposition still lacks maturity to fulfill their role as a check and balance, according to Faiz.

He cited an example of some opposition MPs leaving the House during a session on the Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) into Tabung Haji, leading to a discussion with only the government and a few opposition MPs present. Faiz also questioned the opposition's decision to determine their own leader, noting that Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar once held the position but Hamzah Zainudin quickly took it back, despite PAS being the largest opposition bloc.

Wawasan Party's Agung Secretary Saifuddin Abdullah proposed on Friday that the speaker be given the role of determining the agenda of the Dewan Rakyat as part of efforts to strengthen parliamentary debate in a democracy. However, Hassan disagreed with Faiz's proposal and suggested referring the matter to the House of Representatives Select Committee for further study.

He proposed that if consensus is reached on the form and role of the opposition leader in determining the agenda of the Dewan Rakyat, the House of Representatives Rules would need to be amended to give substance to the change. "If consensus is reached on the form and format of the opposition leader's role in determining the agenda of the Dewan Rakyat, which has been dominated solely by the Prime Minister as the presiding officer of the Dewan Rakyat and certain procedural matters by the Speaker, then the House of Representatives Rules must be amended," Hassan said.

He stated that such a change could strengthen the check and balance process and enhance government accountability. He also noted that the current independence of the Parliament, achieved through the Parliament Service Act, would be maintained while strengthening the principle of separation of powers between the executive and legislative branches.