I REMEMBER going to school almost every day because my mum would give a lecture on how school attendance matter regardless of whether you learn anything or not.

When I was in Form 6, I even received a certificate at the end of the day for having a 99.9 % attendance in class, which was indeed a big deal because my new school appreciated the attendance of the students.

However, things began to change a little at university where I would sometime skip a few classes due to societal and student council commitments, but that didn’t mean that I never attended classes at all.

I definitely made it an effort to attend classes regardless of my commitments as some lectures make it a point to make attendance as part of our assessments and it contributes to our final results.

The sense of fear of not getting these extra score or marks from the attendance is constantly there among us students.

Why I am saying all this? This is because a few of our Members of Parliament (MPs) recently said that attendance in parliament is not a big issue.

Well, as a Malaysian citizen myself, I personally feel that the presence of my MP in Parliament is very important, as I would like to see him or her debate about issues as well as address problems within the constituency at the parliament.

It is the responsibility of each MP to represent the voice of the voters in Parliament as it is the national legislative body of the Malaysian government.

In addition to that, Parliament is not only a place for debates, but beyond that, Parliament is an institution where laws are passed, amended and repealed.

Parliament is also an institution that examines government policies, approves the government’s expenditure and approves taxes.

However, here we have some of our MP’s who are being absolutely ignorant about their role as parliamentarians.

I believe that every single person has been taught about the importance of attendance from our school days right up to university, and as we become adults, attendance at work is also important.

Imagine employees telling their employers that their attendance at work doesn’t matter at all and they would like to show up to work whenever they want. There will definitely be chaos.

I understand that some MP’s have their own different commitments either as a minister or deputy minister and some might even have commitments in their constituencies, but that does not mean that they can neglect their responsibility of attending Parliament sessions regularly.

The practice of the previous government who may have not looked at attendance in Parliament as a priority should be changed in this new era of Malaysia Baru, and the current MPs shouldn’t repeat the mistakes of the past.

The MPs should be reminded that the people are indeed watching their every move and some are even watch the Parliament session every day just to make sure that their MP’s are representing their voices.

The MPs should definitely be a good example to younger people, especially those who are still at school. Imagine a situation where students actually say that their school attendance is no longer a priority, because even our MPs are not prioritising their attendance in Parliament.

Remember that the political culture in Malaysia has changed since the historic election in May this year, as political awareness among citizens, especially young people, has definitely increased significantly.

This complacency about attendance in Parliament can be resolved via a new law that should be implemented, stating the maximum number of days that an MP should be present when Parliament is in session, present a show-cause letter if they are absent, and pay a hefty fine if they are unable to justify their absence.

Most parliaments impose some formal Rules of Attendance, either at plenary sittings and committee meetings. Some countries have incorporated Rules of Attendance within their constitution or legislation, or usually lay down in the Standing Orders of the Parliament. In many countries, the rule of compulsory attendance by members is enforced.

According to the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), compulsory attendance is not enforced in countries like the UK and absence from plenary sittings and committee meetings entails no penalty or action on the MPs.

However, attendance in the Opposed Private Bill Committee is compulsory. Besides the UK, even the United States Congress takes no formal attendance.

But two countries who are following the British parliamentary tradition, Canada and Australia has introduced the rule of compulsory attendance. Members who failed to attend parliamentary session without a valid reason would face a penalty.

In addition to Canada and Australia, the rules of procedure of the German Bundestag also require its members to participate in the assembly’s proceedings. France, Germany, Spain Hungary, Jordan, Poland and South Korea are among many other countries with rules of attendance for members in their assembly.

The same rules of attendance should be applied in our Parliament so that our MPs would be accountable and be more responsible with their attendance. – November 2, 2018.

* Aaron Denison reads The Malaysian Insight.

* This is the opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insight. Article may be edited for brevity and clarity.