Kluang MP Liew Chin Tong has asked Parliament to increase its number of sitting days that has been on a sharp decline in recent years.

In 2008, the number of days for the Dewan Rakyat seating was 79. However, Liew said that the trend from 2009 to 2014 has shown an overall decrease in the number of days to 72, 83, 62, 72, 51 and finally, only 57 days this year.

“I call on the Speaker of Parliament, Tan Sri Pandikar Amin, to revise upward the number of sitting days for 2015 from 61 days to at least 80 days.”

“I also call on Barisan Nasional backbenchers to pressure the Najib Government to agree to an increase of sitting days,” he said today.

Contrary to the year 2010 where Parliament had devoted 83 days to debate the 11th Malaysia Plan, Liew said that 61 days of sitting this year was not a good sign. He also compared Malaysia’s Parliament sitting days to the 162 days for the 2013-2014 session in the British House of Commons. The Australian parliament typically sits for 150 days per year, he added.

“Beyond the sitting in the main chamber, these parliaments have very robust committee debates and deliberations, which the Malaysian Parliament refused to adopt,” Liew said.

Liew also weighed in on the committee stage meeting of the Budget 2015 debates that began today. Liew said that this “was not an actual committee” which should include a small group of MP’s from both sides of the political divide; it is just the “Committee of the House”, he said. During this stage Technical details of the Bill may be discussed before being returned to the House for its Third Reading.

He said that there is almost no difference between a chamber debate and a committee stage meeting other than the Speaker who is called a “Chairman” instead, and that the Parliament mace in lowered.

“Just two years ago in 2012, 18 sitting days were devoted to the “Committee Stage” of Budget debates but it is now 10 days only.”

“It just means the Government is getting even lesser scrutiny in an already constrained and restricted parliamentary system.”

“This must change!” said Liew Chin Tong.