Speaker Johari Abdul describes his new role as a different world, candidly categorising MPs as ‘the good, the bad and the ugly’ based on their conduct

KUALA LUMPUR: Tan Sri Johari Abdul does not miss being a lawmaker in Parliament, describing his current role as speaker of the Dewan Rakyat as “a different world altogether” after more than 15 years of serving as MP.

Reflecting on his political journey, he recounted holding various roles throughout his career, including state assemblyman and head of the opposition in Kedah, MP for Sungai Petani for three terms and chief whip.

“To be frank with you, I have gone through being an MP and an assemblyman. I was an MP for 15 years, three terms as chief whip,” he said in an interview with theSun.

Now presiding over parliamentary proceedings, Johari views his responsibilities from a different perspective.

“Somehow or other, now I’m a speaker, so it’s a different world altogether. I don’t say I miss it (being an MP), but nevertheless, I’m okay here,” he added with a smile.

As speaker, he is tasked with maintaining decorum, enforcing parliamentary rules and ensuring debates proceed fairly between government and opposition lawmakers.

When asked about the most challenging MP he has had to manage during daily sittings, Johari declined to name individuals.

Instead, he categorised MPs into what he described as “the good, the bad and the ugly” – a classification based on his cumulative experience of more than 15 years in Parliament as well as his earlier tenure as a state assemblyman.

“The good ones are those who … It doesn’t matter whether you are from the government or the Opposition, you debate, you give ideas, you criticise constructively and you offer alternatives,” he said.

According to him, good MPs do their homework, understand the issues at hand and contribute meaningfully to discussions.

“You do the reading and you understand what’s going on. You understand what you say. That is a good MP,” he remarked.

He described the second category – the “bad” MPs – as those who oppose every proposal from the government regardless of merit.

“The bad MP is the one who opposes all the way every time. Even though the idea is good, you oppose for no reason. Just because you are in the Opposition,” he added.

He noted that such conduct weakens the quality of parliamentary debate as opposition should be grounded in substance rather than political positioning.

However, he reserved his strongest criticism for what he termed the “ugly” category.

“The worst part is the ugly one. You don’t come to Parliament. You don’t even participate. You don’t debate,” he said.

He criticised MPs who remain silent in the chamber but are vocal outside Parliament, particularly on social media.

“Outside, you are like a lion. You know everything, you criticise – whether it’s the government or the Opposition – sometimes you even whack civil servants. But you don’t take a position in Parliament. Sometimes you come, but you don’t even voice out,” he added.

Johari suggested such behaviour creates a disconnect between public perception and parliamentary records.

“Now people can see. YouTube and social media will prove that on this particular issue, you didn’t even say a word. Outside, you roar like a lion. Something is wrong,” he said.

Despite his candid assessment, he acknowledged every parliament will inevitably have members across this spectrum.

 The Sun Malaysia