KUALA LUMPUR – Dewan Negara president Datuk Mutang Tagal wants ministers to attend the upcoming Upper House sitting to address and engage with the ideas, issues, and questions posed by senators, as opposed to the past practice of relying on their deputy ministers to represent them.
The Dewan Negara sitting is set to convene today and will span over 12 days until April 4.
Ministers must “discard” the old attitude and embrace a new, progressive, and dynamic approach to governance, he said.
Speaking to Scoop, he also stressed the importance of the Dewan Negara sitting, perceived as effective as the United States Senate and the House of Lords in the United Kingdom.
“If ministers are not willing to face the senators in Dewan Negara, that is their problem, (but) the people and the country will lose because they do not get significant ideas from the ministers,” he said today.
For that reason, he stressed that Dewan Negara should not be labelled or considered merely a “pak turut” or a “rubber stamp”.
“The bill passed by Dewan Rakyat, when presented in Dewan Negara, will be scrutinised, reviewed, and critically discussed by senators before approval.
“It is inaccurate to label the Upper House of Parliament as a mere ‘rubber stamp’ for the government.
“As a sovereign country, we adhere to the principles of parliamentary democracy and the division of power among three government bodies: the executive, legislative, and judicial branches, as outlined in the Federal Constitution.
“These bodies operate under the doctrine of ‘separation of powers’.
“If not, our country will become totalitarian, where total power is held by only one leader,” he said.
Mutang also expressed hope that the members of the Senate will engage in professional and intellectual discussions regarding bills, proposals, questions, and current issues with confidence, commitment, and thoughtful, constructive arguments aimed at resolving all matters.
“I also urge the media to provide fair coverage of Dewan Negara and refrain from disparaging it.
“The issue lies not with the Dewan Negara itself but rather with the media’s failure to report and publish the debates among senators. The level of debate in the Upper House is high, given the extensive skills and experience of its members.
“The public deserves to receive well-considered arguments from their senators,” he added.
On February 19, the Bukit Mas MP was appointed the 20th Dewan Negara president.
Mutang is a member of the Lun Bawang tribe from Lawas in northern Sarawak as well as a legal practitioner.
Born on October 5, 1954, he served two terms as Bukit Mas MP from 1982 to 1990.
He graduated with a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Malaya and later pursued a Master of Business Administration (MBA) at Curtin University.
On January 12, 2017, he was appointed as the honorary consul of Romania in Sarawak.
In the same year, he was awarded the rank of National Service Commander, carrying the title of datuk, by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong. – March 18, 2024