Shahrir's stand on Parliament autonomy questionable.

Perhaps you should have a read on today's Utusan Mingguan Wawancara (Interview) with Datuk Shahrir Samad, UMNO MP for Johor Bharu and Backbenchers Club Chairman.

Let me quote from what he said as followed:
"Pengumuman itu menimbulkan reaksi yang kuat di kalangan semua ahli Parlimen, cuma tindakan masing-masing berlainan. Pihak pembangkang terus menyerang dan menyifatkannya sebagai tindakan yang boleh menggugat kedudukan Parlimen. Kami yang menjadi penyokong kerajaan sebaliknya mengambil sikap yang lebih halus dan berlapik. "

"Kami mengadakan satu pertemuan dengan Timbalan Perdana Menteri, Isnin lepas untuk menyuarakan kebimbangan kami. Kami mencadangkan supaya nama itu ditukar kepada sesuatu yang lebih sesuai dengan kedudukan Parlimen, supaya tidak mengikut acuan perkhidmatan awam. Timbalan Perdana Menteri kemudian bersetuju untuk membawa perkara itu kepada perhatian kabinet."

I am not sure if this is the reason why the name of Ketua Pengarah Jabatan Parlimen is changed to pejabat, and further changed to jawatan Ketua Pentadbiran (This is the so-called sotry about capital "J" for Jabatan and the small letter "j" for jawatan).

If it is so, then Datuk Shahrir may have made the biggest by asking for a change of name of the post, instead of pursuing in full swing to remove the post, whether it comes in the form of Ketua Pengarah or Ketua Pentadbiran, whether it is in the form of a Jabatan Parlimen or just a small jawatan.

Of course, another big mistake is that on what basis Shahrir to consult Najib, who is part of the Executive? Shahrir as BBC Chairman should at least display the little dignity he has as a Parliamentarian by not submitting to the Executive. I understand that being an MP from the government side, he may need to consult the Executive before any move from the backbenchers, but judging from the report, it does not seem that Shahrir was talking to the Executive in an equal basis as a Legislative.

While Shahrir's move to urga MPs to stand up as sign to support the re-establishment of Parliamentary Service Act 1963, but Shahrir's stand on Nazri's suggestion to have a Parliament Department has been quite unstable since Nazri announced the Cabinet's decision to establish the department. Maybe fellow Malaysians could put a closer watch on him and his chaps in the Parliament in days to come.