KUALA LUMPUR: Those attending the coming Parliament proceedings will have to leave their sweet-tooth behind on Wednesdays, which will be a “sugar free” day in the august House, says Tan Sri Johari Abdul (pic).
The Dewan Rakyat Speaker said the ruling would be enforced at the start of the Parliament meeting that will run from Oct 14 to Dec 12.
“The ruling covers all who are in Parliament, including the media. We will ensure that sugar is not added to drinks,” he said at an engagement session with the media yesterday.
“Those who want to bring in drinks, will have to see to it if there is sugar in it or not.
“The move is being done so that we will become a more healthy society,” he explained.
On Sept 8, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim told the public to take health knowledge seriously, particularly regarding the dangers of excessive sugar consumption.
The Prime Minister said this was due to the fact that Malaysia has the highest number of diabetes cases in South-East Asia, reflecting that the level of health literacy in the country is low.
Johari also said that he would continue with the practice of getting MPs to undergo mandatory medical examinations and declare their health status.
“There are MPs who informed me that they discovered to having illnesses since undergoing their health screenings. They are now undergoing treatment and taking medication,” he said.
In July this year, Johari announced mandatory health screening for all MPs – which had to be done by November.
Last year, Johari said he had seen at least 11 MPs collapse during his time in the House over the past 15 years.
On a separate matter, Johari said that the Blue Bill for the revival of the long-awaited Parliamentary Services Act (PSA) was ready for tabling during the coming Parliament meeting.
“I call on MPs to support the Bill. The revival of the PSA will show the world that separation of powers is truly practiced in Malaysia,” he added.
The PSA was first enacted in 1963, just a few months before the formation of Malaysia.
It allowed Parliament to act as a truly independent body, running its own affairs, selecting its staff, and control its expenditure.
However, it was repealed during the administration of Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad in 1992.
Since then, there had been numerous calls from civil society for its revival to ensure the independence of Parliament.
Meanwhile, Johari said the Dewan Rakyat has not received a motion of no confidence against Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
“What I have heard are mere rumours and just a lot of talk about a motion of no confidence. So far there has been nothing yet,” he said.
He noted that such a motion must be submitted to Dewan Rakyat according to procedures.
“If there is to be such a motion, it has to be submitted formally in black and white. It can’t be done by just a telephone call or through email,” he added.
On Sept 20, Anwar had challenged the Opposition to table a vote of no confidence against him in the upcoming Dewan Rakyat session.
PAS’s youth wing had called for Anwar to step down as Prime Minister during the party’s 70th muktamar recently.
