Chief Whip (Malaysia)
Encyclopedia
The Chief Whip in Malaysia is the Member of Parliament
(MP) from the governing party
who ensures each MP votes in accordance with the party line when necessary. The office of the Chief Whip exists only in the lower house of Parliament, the Dewan Rakyat
. Derived from the Chief Whip
of the British Parliament, the concept of the whip
— which also refers to the instructions issued by the Chief Whip — has been in force since 1955 when a national legislature for Malaya
was first elected. The party governing then was the coalition of the Alliance, which governed until the mid-1970s, when it was renamed as the Barisan Nasional
(National Front; commonly abbreviated as BN). As of 2006, the Chief Whip is Deputy Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak
, and his deputies are Minister in the Prime Minister's Department in charge of Parliamentary Affairs Nazri Aziz, Transport Minister Chan Kong Choy
, and Works Minister Samy Vellu
.
There is some dispute about the precise nature of the whip, such as when it is in force. Convention in most Commonwealth
countries that utilise the Westminster system
, such as Malaysia, is that the whip is not in force unless explicitly made clear by the Chief Whip or his deputy. However, Parliamentarians have recently clashed over whether such is the case in Malaysia. In BN, although the Chief Whip rarely issues official directives, government MPs have tended to follow the party line. Most BN MPs who have contravened the government's stance in Parliament have been sanctioned. Recently, an official directive from the Prime Minister stated that the whip was always in force unless the Chief Whip or his deputy indicated otherwise.
(BN-Johor Bahru
) as chairman of the Barisan Nasional Backbenchers Club
(BNBBC) triggered a controversy over the nature of the whip and how it is enforced. Earlier in 2005, a Deputy Minister, S. Sothinathan
, had been suspended for speaking in Parliament against the government's stand on the issue of the government's decision not to recognise degrees awarded by the Crimea State Medical University (CSMU). Later, two MPs who spoke in support of a motion made by the opposition regarding a corruption scandal related to the distribution of import permits were also sanctioned, receiving official warning letters. At the time, Najib said it was official BN policy to not support any motions brought by the opposition.
Then in May 2006, Shahrir spoke in support of a motion brought by Opposition Leader Lim Kit Siang of the Democratic Action Party
(DAP) to refer an anonymous MP who allegedly attempted to influence the Melaka Customs and Excise Department to the House Rights and Privileges Committee. When the vote was held, Shahrir was the only government MP who supported the motion. He immediately left the house and called an impromptu press conference to announce his resignation as BNBBC Chair, saying that "Even though it was an Opposition motion, we should support it for its importance to MPs and the House." The Deputy Chair and the BNBBC asked Shahrir to rescind his resignation, but Shahrir insisted he would submit a letter of resignation to Najib, the Chief Whip. Later, Shahrir explained he had no choice but to resign "as I had breached the party's directive against supporting an Opposition motion."
Mohammad Said bin Yusof
(BN-Jasin
) then said he was the unnamed MP, but insisted he had done nothing wrong in asking for leniency in the case of one of his constituents, whose import of timber
from Indonesia
had been seized on what Said called a "technicality". Later, the BNBBC issued a statement, read by secretary Rosli Mat Hassan (BN-Dungun
), which declared, "the unwritten rule that presently [makes] it mandatory for BN MPs to oppose any opposition motion regardless of merit [runs] counter to basic parliamentary practice and [infringes] on the duties of MPs". The BNBBC also said "However, we recognise, as in the case of the British House of Commons
, the party Whip can compel MPs to vote along party lines in issues of serious importance, such as financial bills and vote of no-confidence as well as second readings of other important bills.... But in the absence of any direction from the Whip, the general rule is that MPs are to vote according to their conscience to serve their constituency and country." In light of this, they officially requested the permission of the executive to vote according to their conscience unless ordered otherwise by the Whip. Rosli then said the BNBBC would attempt to re-elect Shahrir as their Chair, despite Najib having accepted Shahrir's resignation.
However, the BNBBC later stated that Shahrir had been in the wrong for supporting a baseless motion, as the purview of the House Rights and Privileges Committee only extended to the misuse of Parliamentary privileges. Rosli also said Lim's motion ran counter to established Parliamentary process, as it was rushed through without written notice and a period of 24 hours being given to the Speaker to consider the motion. Shahrir himself later said he had "...made a mistake in regard to the parliamentary procedure involved. However, based on the political model, there was no mistake."
However, Prime Minister
Abdullah Ahmad Badawi
later issued a formal directive, making Rosli's "unwritten rule" official. The directive, released shortly after a United Malays National Organisation
(UMNO — the leading party in BN) Supreme Council meeting, stated that MPs were required to follow the party line unless otherwise instructed. When the topic of other Commonwealth Parliaments was raised, Abdullah said that "We have our own democracy and we will follow it." The backbenchers indicated they would comply with the ruling, but said that counter to Abdullah's insinuation that he would have sacked Shahrir had he not resigned, they still considered Shahrir their Chairman.
Nazri, the deputy Chief Whip, later explained that "The Whip is only relaxed when it is lifted by the chief or the deputy chief Whip. The question of allowing backbenchers to vote according to their conscience does not arise. It is also not right to say the Backbenchers Club does not come under the whip which is perpetually in force until otherwise." He also criticised Zaid Ibrahim
(BN-Kota Baru), who had led a campaign to re-elect Shahrir, for citing other Commonwealth Parliaments as a rationale for allowing BN MPs to vote freely, and said that the BNBBC had unanimously accepted his explanation of the Whip's role. As an example of the relaxation of the Whip, Nazri cited the 2005 case of a motion brought by Salahuddin Ayub
(PAS
-Kubang Kerian
) concerning the South Thailand insurgency
: "Although no voting was involved, they could only speak in support of the motion because we gave them the green light." When asked about the possible re-election of Shahrir, Nazri said "it would have been a mockery of the disciplinary process" within BN.
Parliament of Malaysia
The Parliament of Malaysia is the national legislature of Malaysia, based on the Westminster system. The bicameral parliament consists of the House of Representatives and the Senate. The King as the Head of State is the third component of Parliament....
(MP) from the governing party
Political party
A political party is a political organization that typically seeks to influence government policy, usually by nominating their own candidates and trying to seat them in political office. Parties participate in electoral campaigns, educational outreach or protest actions...
who ensures each MP votes in accordance with the party line when necessary. The office of the Chief Whip exists only in the lower house of Parliament, the Dewan Rakyat
Dewan Rakyat
The Dewan Rakyat is the lower house of the Parliament of Malaysia. All bills must usually be passed by both the Dewan Rakyat and the Dewan Negara , before they are given Royal Assent by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong...
. Derived from the Chief Whip
Chief Whip
The Chief Whip is a political office in some legislatures assigned to an elected member whose task is to administer the whipping system that ensures that members of the party attend and vote as the party leadership desires.-The Whips Office:...
of the British Parliament, the concept of the whip
Whip (politics)
A whip is an official in a political party whose primary purpose is to ensure party discipline in a legislature. Whips are a party's "enforcers", who typically offer inducements and threaten punishments for party members to ensure that they vote according to the official party policy...
— which also refers to the instructions issued by the Chief Whip — has been in force since 1955 when a national legislature for Malaya
Federation of Malaya
The Federation of Malaya is the name given to a federation of 11 states that existed from 31 January 1948 until 16 September 1963. The Federation became independent on 31 August 1957...
was first elected. The party governing then was the coalition of the Alliance, which governed until the mid-1970s, when it was renamed as the Barisan Nasional
Barisan Nasional
Barisan Nasional is a major political coalition in Malaysia, formed in 1973 as the successor to the Alliance . Along with its predecessor, it has been Malaysia's federal ruling political force since independence...
(National Front; commonly abbreviated as BN). As of 2006, the Chief Whip is Deputy Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak
Najib Tun Razak
Dato' Sri Haji Mohd Najib bin Tun Haji Abdul Razak is the sixth, and since 2009, Prime Minister of Malaysia. He previously held the post of Deputy Prime Minister from 7 January 2004 until he succeeded Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi as Prime Minister on 3 April 2009. Najib is President of the United...
, and his deputies are Minister in the Prime Minister's Department in charge of Parliamentary Affairs Nazri Aziz, Transport Minister Chan Kong Choy
Chan Kong Choy
Yang Berbahagia Tan Sri Chan Kong Choy was a Malaysian politician and the former deputy president of the Malaysian Chinese Association, a component part of the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition...
, and Works Minister Samy Vellu
Samy Vellu
Dato' Seri Samy Vellu Sangalimuthu is an Indian Malaysian politician. He is the longest serving President of the Malaysian Indian Congress , a component party of the Barisan Nasional coalition, holding the position since 1979, for 11 consecutive terms...
.
There is some dispute about the precise nature of the whip, such as when it is in force. Convention in most Commonwealth
Commonwealth of Nations
The Commonwealth of Nations, normally referred to as the Commonwealth and formerly known as the British Commonwealth, is an intergovernmental organisation of fifty-four independent member states...
countries that utilise the Westminster system
Westminster System
The Westminster system is a democratic parliamentary system of government modelled after the politics of the United Kingdom. This term comes from the Palace of Westminster, the seat of the Parliament of the United Kingdom....
, such as Malaysia, is that the whip is not in force unless explicitly made clear by the Chief Whip or his deputy. However, Parliamentarians have recently clashed over whether such is the case in Malaysia. In BN, although the Chief Whip rarely issues official directives, government MPs have tended to follow the party line. Most BN MPs who have contravened the government's stance in Parliament have been sanctioned. Recently, an official directive from the Prime Minister stated that the whip was always in force unless the Chief Whip or his deputy indicated otherwise.
Controversy
In 2006, the resignation of Shahrir Abdul SamadShahrir Abdul Samad
Datuk Seri Utama Shahrir Abdul Samad is the former Malaysian Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister, a member of Parliament, and the former chairman of the Barisan Nasional Backbenchers Club . He is a member of the United Malays National Organisation, the largest political party in the...
(BN-Johor Bahru
Johor Bahru
Johor Bahru is the capital city of Johor in southern Malaysia. Johor Bahru is the southernmost city of the Eurasian mainland...
) as chairman of the Barisan Nasional Backbenchers Club
Barisan Nasional Backbenchers Club
The Barisan Nasional Backbenchers Club is a loose caucus of 108 members of the lower house of the Parliament of Malaysia, the Dewan Rakyat, belonging to the governing Barisan Nasional coalition...
(BNBBC) triggered a controversy over the nature of the whip and how it is enforced. Earlier in 2005, a Deputy Minister, S. Sothinathan
S. Sothinathan
Yang Berbahagia Dato' Sothinathan s/o Sinna Goundar is a Malaysian Politician of Indian Tamil origin. He was also vice-president of the Malaysian Indian Congress, a component party of the Barisan Nasional ruling coalition...
, had been suspended for speaking in Parliament against the government's stand on the issue of the government's decision not to recognise degrees awarded by the Crimea State Medical University (CSMU). Later, two MPs who spoke in support of a motion made by the opposition regarding a corruption scandal related to the distribution of import permits were also sanctioned, receiving official warning letters. At the time, Najib said it was official BN policy to not support any motions brought by the opposition.
Then in May 2006, Shahrir spoke in support of a motion brought by Opposition Leader Lim Kit Siang of the Democratic Action Party
Democratic Action Party
The Democratic Action Party, or DAP is a secular, multi-racial, social democratic Malaysian political party.The DAP is one of the three major opposition parties in Malaysia, along with the PKR and PAS, that are seen as electable alternatives to the Barisan Nasional coalition of parties...
(DAP) to refer an anonymous MP who allegedly attempted to influence the Melaka Customs and Excise Department to the House Rights and Privileges Committee. When the vote was held, Shahrir was the only government MP who supported the motion. He immediately left the house and called an impromptu press conference to announce his resignation as BNBBC Chair, saying that "Even though it was an Opposition motion, we should support it for its importance to MPs and the House." The Deputy Chair and the BNBBC asked Shahrir to rescind his resignation, but Shahrir insisted he would submit a letter of resignation to Najib, the Chief Whip. Later, Shahrir explained he had no choice but to resign "as I had breached the party's directive against supporting an Opposition motion."
Mohammad Said bin Yusof
Mohammad Said bin Yusof
Yang Berhormat Datuk Mohammad Said bin Yusof was a member of the Malaysian Parliament in the lower house of the Dewan Rakyat, representing the constituency of Jasin in the state of Melaka...
(BN-Jasin
Jasin
Jasin District is one of the three districts in the State of Malacca, Malaysia. The other two are the Central Malacca district and the Alor Gajah district. Jasin District is the southernmost of the three districts, and borders the State of Johor. Jasin is also the name of the main town in the...
) then said he was the unnamed MP, but insisted he had done nothing wrong in asking for leniency in the case of one of his constituents, whose import of timber
Timber
Timber may refer to:* Timber, a term common in the United Kingdom and Australia for wood materials * Timber, Oregon, an unincorporated community in the U.S...
from Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
had been seized on what Said called a "technicality". Later, the BNBBC issued a statement, read by secretary Rosli Mat Hassan (BN-Dungun
Dungun
Dungun is a coastal district of the Malaysian state of Terengganu. Kuala Dungun is the capital of the district.Kuala Dungun town used to be an iron mining town in the 1940s. Iron ores were actually mined in a small town inland called Bukit Besi located to the west, while Kuala Dungun served as the...
), which declared, "the unwritten rule that presently [makes] it mandatory for BN MPs to oppose any opposition motion regardless of merit [runs] counter to basic parliamentary practice and [infringes] on the duties of MPs". The BNBBC also said "However, we recognise, as in the case of the British House of Commons
British House of Commons
The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords . Both Commons and Lords meet in the Palace of Westminster. The Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 650 members , who are known as Members...
, the party Whip can compel MPs to vote along party lines in issues of serious importance, such as financial bills and vote of no-confidence as well as second readings of other important bills.... But in the absence of any direction from the Whip, the general rule is that MPs are to vote according to their conscience to serve their constituency and country." In light of this, they officially requested the permission of the executive to vote according to their conscience unless ordered otherwise by the Whip. Rosli then said the BNBBC would attempt to re-elect Shahrir as their Chair, despite Najib having accepted Shahrir's resignation.
However, the BNBBC later stated that Shahrir had been in the wrong for supporting a baseless motion, as the purview of the House Rights and Privileges Committee only extended to the misuse of Parliamentary privileges. Rosli also said Lim's motion ran counter to established Parliamentary process, as it was rushed through without written notice and a period of 24 hours being given to the Speaker to consider the motion. Shahrir himself later said he had "...made a mistake in regard to the parliamentary procedure involved. However, based on the political model, there was no mistake."
However, Prime Minister
Prime Minister of Malaysia
The Prime Minister of Malaysia is the indirectly elected head of government of Malaysia. He is officially appointed by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, the head of state, who in HM's judgment is likely to command the confidence of the majority of the members of that House of Representatives , the...
Abdullah Ahmad Badawi
Abdullah Ahmad Badawi
Tun Abdullah bin Haji Ahmad Badawi is a Malaysian politician who served as Prime Minister from 2003 to 2009. He was also the President of the United Malays National Organisation , the largest political party in Malaysia, and led the governing Barisan Nasional parliamentary coalition...
later issued a formal directive, making Rosli's "unwritten rule" official. The directive, released shortly after a United Malays National Organisation
United Malays National Organisation
The United Malays National Organisation, is Malaysia's largest political party; a founding member of the National Front coalition, which has played a dominant role in Malaysian politics since independence....
(UMNO — the leading party in BN) Supreme Council meeting, stated that MPs were required to follow the party line unless otherwise instructed. When the topic of other Commonwealth Parliaments was raised, Abdullah said that "We have our own democracy and we will follow it." The backbenchers indicated they would comply with the ruling, but said that counter to Abdullah's insinuation that he would have sacked Shahrir had he not resigned, they still considered Shahrir their Chairman.
Nazri, the deputy Chief Whip, later explained that "The Whip is only relaxed when it is lifted by the chief or the deputy chief Whip. The question of allowing backbenchers to vote according to their conscience does not arise. It is also not right to say the Backbenchers Club does not come under the whip which is perpetually in force until otherwise." He also criticised Zaid Ibrahim
Zaid Ibrahim
Dato' Mohd Zaid Ibrahim is a prominent Malaysian lawyer turned politician and is a former Minister in the Prime Minister's Department in charge of legal affairs and judicial reform...
(BN-Kota Baru), who had led a campaign to re-elect Shahrir, for citing other Commonwealth Parliaments as a rationale for allowing BN MPs to vote freely, and said that the BNBBC had unanimously accepted his explanation of the Whip's role. As an example of the relaxation of the Whip, Nazri cited the 2005 case of a motion brought by Salahuddin Ayub
Salahuddin Ayub
Salahuddin Ayub is a Malaysian politician and is currently the Member of the Parliament of Malaysia for the Kubang Kerian constituency in Kelantan. He is a member of the Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party in the Pakatan Rakyat opposition coalition...
(PAS
PAS (political party)
The Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party commonly known as PAS or Pas, is an Islamist political party in Malaysia and is currently headed by Dato' Seri Abdul Hadi Awang...
-Kubang Kerian
Kubang Kerian
Kubang Kerian is a town and also a parliamentary constituency in Kota Bharu district, Kelantan, Malaysia. The Universiti Sains Malaysia branch campus is located here. This campus is also referred to as the USM Health Campus. The campus houses 3 schools - the School of Medical Sciences, the School...
) concerning the South Thailand insurgency
South Thailand insurgency
An ethnic separatist insurgency is taking place in Southern Thailand, predominantly in the Malay Pattani region, made up of the three southernmost provinces of Thailand. Violence has increasingly spilling over into other provinces...
: "Although no voting was involved, they could only speak in support of the motion because we gave them the green light." When asked about the possible re-election of Shahrir, Nazri said "it would have been a mockery of the disciplinary process" within BN.