KKM mohon maaf isu ‘kerusi kosong’ di Parlimen, jelaskan kronologi pertukaran aturan mesyuarat

The Malaysian Health Ministry (KKM) has apologized for the "technical difficulty" surrounding the unexpected absence of Deputy Prime Minister Hanifah Hajar Taib from Parliament this morning. According to the ministry, this interruption led to the absence of the Deputy Minister on time, causing a significant shift in the flow of parliamentary proceedings.

The disruption resulted from the late arrival of Member of Parliament for Batu, Siti Mastura Muhammad, who was scheduled to raise a question. This delay led to the rapid progression of the discussion to the third question, which was raised by Wangsa Maju MP Zahir Hassan.

Health Minister Dzulkefly Ahmad was not present in the House of Representatives due to a commitment to a formal task outside the region, while Deputy Health Minister Hanifah was in Parliament to address the questions posed by the Members of Parliament. KKM stated that Hanifah had already met with officials and provided a detailed written response to Zahir Hassan's question.

The lack of presence of both Dzulkefly and Hanifah during the call for the third question on the morning of the event sparked a disagreement among some opposition MPs.

The situation escalated when Speaker of the House Alice Lau informed the Members of Parliament that both the Minister and his deputy were not present in the House to address Zahir Hassan's question regarding health services. The atmosphere grew tense as Mas Ermieyati Samsudin, MP for Masjid Tanah, questioned the incident and accused it of being unprecedented. Tasek Gelugor MP Wan Saiful Wan Jan further urged the House to record Hanifah's absence as irresponsible conduct.