KUALA LUMPUR: An opposition MP has slammed the government over its decision to brief MPs on the claim by the heirs of the Sulu sultanate behind closed doors instead of the Dewan Rakyat.
Kulai MP Teo Nie Ching said she and her fellow MPs received an invitation to a closed-door briefing on the issue at the Seri Pacific Hotel here tonight.
The briefing will be given by law minister Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar, foreign minister Saifuddin Abdullah and economic affairs minister Mustapa Mohamed.
“If we can rent the ballroom of a five-star hotel for the briefing, why can’t MPs debate the issue in the Dewan Rakyat?
“Why are we wasting money to rent the ballroom at a five-star hotel instead of using readily available facilities at the Dewan Rakyat?” she said at a press conference.
Speaker Azhar Harun has shot down motions to debate the claim made by heirs of the Sulu sultan, saying it will jeopardise Malaysia’s position in the ongoing court proceedings.
He said it was unwise to reveal Putrajaya’s strategy for the litigation proceedings, adding that it was his responsibility to prevent that from happening.
However, Teo said the Dewan Rakyat was the best platform for the government to explain the issue.
She also said she was unhappy that the invitation to tonight’s briefing was being treated as a confidential matter.
“This is a big issue, it doesn’t just affect the people of Sabah but everyone else.”
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