Shahrir vs Nazri

Air your views even if they look stupid, Shahrir tells MPs

The Star, Monday, April 25, 2005

PETALING JAYA: Members of Parliament should be encouraged to air their views even if they look ridiculous or stupid to others, said Barisan Nasional Backbenchers Club chief Datuk Shahrir Abdul Samad. He said MPs came from all walks of life and it was illogical to expect them to share the same point of view or have the same level of intelligent quotient. “I think (Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri) Mohamed Nazri Aziz was a bit too harsh when he said MPs should keep quiet rather than raise stupid issues. “MPs air their views not because they are pretending to be clever. They are merely expressing opinions and whether we like their comments or not, they could be expressing the views of the people,” he said. For example, Shahrir said the MP who suggested that addicts be sent to an island and given free drugs could be expressing the frustration of the rakyat for the failure of the Government to stem the drug menace. “The supposedly clever people have been strategising for years and spending millions of ringgit to curb the drug abuse but the problem has worsened. “We need all kinds of ideas. The MP’s idea is not very clever but at least he is honest,” he said. Nazri had said MPs should refrain from raising stupid and irrelevant issues and “it is better to keep quiet and let others assume you are stupid rather than talk nonsense and confirm that you are really stupid”. Shahrir said he noticed that there was more bantering among MPs at the current sitting. “MPs often interject to seek explanation or give their views among themselves instead of directing questions to the Government,” he said, adding that it was not his role to remind the MPs on how to conduct themselves during debates. Deputy Speaker Datuk Lim Si Cheng said MPs should not stray from the subject being debated. “Sometimes MPs like to give their views on subjects which are irrelevant to the issues being debated. We try to guide them back to the issue at hand but it is easier said than done,” he said.

Shahrir Forever!!! Dare to differ.....