Business · Malaysia Bureau
Health Ministry apologises for empty seat row in Parliament
Malaysia's Health Ministry has clarified circumstances surrounding an unoccupied seat during parliamentary proceedings, attributing the incident to unexpected changes in question order during a Dewan Rakyat session.
LSN Malaysia ·
The Ministry of Health (KKM) has issued an apology regarding an empty seat controversy that occurred in Parliament, providing details on how the situation unfolded during a recent sitting of the Dewan Rakyat.
According to the ministry's explanation, the deputy minister responsible for answering parliamentary questions was present in the chamber. However, due to a sudden reorganisation of the parliamentary question order, the minister's turn to respond was missed during proceedings.
The ministry attributed the incident to the abrupt shift in questioning sequence, which disrupted the anticipated schedule for addressing queries from members of Parliament. Officials said the deputy minister had prepared to answer questions as scheduled but was unable to do so when the order of business changed unexpectedly.
The apology comes as the ministry attempts to clarify the circumstances surrounding the empty seat, which had drawn attention during the parliamentary session. The incident highlights procedural challenges that can arise during parliamentary debates when the sequence of questions undergoes last-minute modifications.
The ministry has not indicated whether remedial measures would be implemented to prevent similar situations in future parliamentary sessions.