KUALA LUMPUR: Now that doubts about the legitimacy of Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's premiership have been put to rest and the 2023 mini-budget passed, lawmakers must focus on preparing the economy for the global downturn.
However, observers said the two-day special Dewan Rakyat sitting, which ended on Tuesday, showed that some quarters had yet to move beyond trivial issues.
Failure to engage in constructive debate and formulate proper ideas, they said, could impact the country's preparations for the tough times ahead.
The experts said legislation to ensure good behaviour during debates could prevent MPs from making insensitive remarks, especially on gender, religion and race.
Constitutional expert Professor Datuk Dr Shad Saleem Faruqi said while the parliamentary Standing Order existed to ensure good behaviour, it had rarely been seen as effective.
"We have witnessed time after time MPs making shameless, sexist remarks, raising religious and racially insensitive statements, and uttering seditious and insulting words about other religions.
"One has to say with great sadness that the standard of the parliamentary debates is not high.
"MPs behave in a way that doesn't attract appreciation or admiration.
"People are wondering why the standards, ethics and content of speeches in Parliament are low," he told the New Straits Times.
He said it was time Malaysia introduced a law that could discipline legislators to ensure quality debate, thus compelling them to focus on tasks instead of politicking.
He said introducing a Standards of Ethical Conduct Act for MPs would help Parliament better manage legislators in terms of ethics, personal and professional conduct in the house, as well as the content of their speeches.
"The Standing Order is not the law of the land, it works only in the house.
"This means if somebody violates the Standing Order, he or she can't be prosecuted in a court of law due to the lawmakers' parliamentary privileges.
"The speaker has the discretion to cite someone for contempt of the house by asking the person to retract a statement or to refer him to the parliamentary privileges committee.
"Sadly, this has not been done often enough.
"There were MPs who got away with making insulting remarks. So if there is a law that can list out the standards, it will be easier to hold them in contempt of the house.
"Although the courts can't take action against an MP, at least the house can punish the person through the act."
On Monday, opposition leader Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin courted controversy when he claimed that an Italian news outlet had named Anwar as the first "homosexual prime minister in an Islamic country".
Shad's idea was echoed by political pundit Professor Dr Sivamurugan Pandian, who suggested the act be tied to the anti-hopping law and upcoming political funding act.
He said this way, MPs would know what they should and should not do as well as how to behave, given that parliamentary sessions are aired live.
"People want to hear practical and rational debates, and not see MPs attack each other.
"The compass should be on morality. We will see more civilised politicians in the house if an MPs Ethics Act were introduced.
"At the end of the day, if people matter to them, MPs will put their egos aside and work together for the sake of the people and the country."
Anwar on Tuesday told MPs to keep it civil and that he would support any decision by Speaker Datuk Johari Abdul to punish MPs for misbehaving.
