PADANG Besar Member of Parliament (MP) Datuk Seri Azmi Khalid’s response to the MP Watch: Eye on Parliament project, which asks all 222 MPs six questions.
Name: Azmi Khalid
Constituency: Padang Besar
Party: Umno
Years as MP: Since 1995
Government position: None
Party position: None
Membership in parliamentary committees or caucus:
Public Accounts Committee chairperson
Blog/Website: None
Would you support the abolition/review of the Internal Security Act, in particular the provision that allows for detention without trial?
I disagree that the ISA should be abolished. I agree it should be reviewed. It should be confined to security issues only. Whether a case constitutes a security issue or not should be determined by the court (to be heard in camera) on a case-by-case basis.
Do you think Malaysia should be a secular or an Islamic state? Why?
The present system is ok as it is enshrined in the constitution (one should study Malaysian history to understand how it evolves).
How do you define your role as an elected MP? Does Parliament provide you with the necessary infrastructure and support to fulfill your role?
I am an elected representative of the people in my constituency. Yes, Parliament provides me with all the support to act as a parliamentarian.
Would you support a Freedom of Information Act? Why or why not?
The Official Secrets Act should be abolished to allow for more transparency.
If there was one thing you could do to strengthen parliamentary democracy in Malaysia, what would it be?
There should be more select committees to go through bills before they are passed by Parliament.
Do you believe in separation of powers between the government, Parliament and judiciary? Why or why not?
Yes, there should be clear-cut definition and separation of powers. 
For other MP responses, see Full MP list
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Poh Soon says
It’s great to hear that there are Umno MPs who support for the abolishment of OSA. However, it would be better if action can be taken to try to have it abolished.