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

The Malaysian Ministry of Health apologized for the "technical difficulties" that prevented Health Minister Dzulkefly Ahmad from arriving in time to answer a question from Wangsa Maju MP Zahir Hassan in Parliament on Monday morning. The delay was caused by a sudden change in the flow of parliamentary proceedings, according to KKM.

Health Minister Hanifah Hajar Taib was present in Parliament, participating in a final discussion with senior officials outside the chamber to address Zahir's third question. However, the second question had to be postponed due to the arrival of Kepulauan Riau MP Siti Mastura Muhammad, who was supposed to pose the question. This delay resulted in the flow of parliamentary business moving on to Zahir's third question without the Health Minister's presence.

Minister Dzulkefly had to attend a formal signatures ceremony for a project to build the Women and Children's Hospital Melaka, organized by the Minister of Women, Family and Community Development, Alexander Nanta Linggi. Minister Dzulkefly was also engaged in official duties outside the area.

KKM noted that Hanifah had already met and provided a detailed written response to Zahir's question. The absence of the Minister and the Deputy Minister during the third question call on Monday morning sparked a controversy among the opposition. The issue was raised when Speaker of the House Alice Lau informed MPs that the Minister and his deputy were not present in the chamber to answer Zahir's question due to their healthcare duties.

The atmosphere became tense when Mas Ermieyati Samsudin, MP for Masjid Tanah, rose to question the incident, accusing it of never happening. Tasek Gelugor MP Wan Saiful Wan Jan also urged the House to record the absence of KKM leadership as irresponsible conduct.